Of Diamonds and Devils Part 1
by Joseph Kursk
Summary: In the early dawn of victory, with friends all around and pleasures to enjoy, a strange blonde haired man arrives demanding that either Aang release Azula to him, or suffer the consequences. Soon the race is on as friends begin to vanish, and everyone begins to wonder, is this man even human? OC Characters. Revisions taking place.
1. Nightmares and Mudholes

**This is the third installment in the Diamond series. Recommended to go and read the others first, but this book is fine as a stand along. Revisions will be applied as soon as possible. Enjoy.**

**Chapter I**

There was fire surrounding him, its tendrils seeking to come in and burn him with their touch. Wave upon wave of heat cascaded over him as he huddled within an earthen shell. He was desperate to flee, but he could not move, there was nowhere to go. Burning earth encased him, slowly melting around him. Fear fell upon him like a snake, constricting his chest and cutting his breath short. He was suffocating, he would either have to remove himself from his shell, or choke to death on the waves of smoke that began to pour in through the cracks. This was the end, this was defeat. Tears sprung to his eyes as the smoke stung them. He peered through the cracks for one last look, one last glimpse of daylight, but it was obscured by one image, a sneering face with black eyes. Ozai.

Aang awoke with a start, grabbing his chest as he struggled for air. He cried out, swinging an arm in self-defense. A blast of air shot a dark mantle into the wall, making it splinter alongside several other pieces of furniture, some also damaged while the others still in one piece. A fire-nation banner on the wall tore as the wood crashed into it, the golden thread and black emblem falling down in a heap on the ground.

Shaking his head, Aang looked at himself, his tattoos fading back to their normal blue hue as he calmed himself down. Confused, he looked around himself, trying to pinpoint where in the world he was. His feet slapped against cold white marble as he stood up, sending a shiver up his spine. Putting on his robes, he walked over to the wall, running his hand along a golden banner, the old air-nomad emblem emblazoned on it in blue sapphires. Expensive. He shook his head. There was something he was forgetting here.

Aang smacked his head. Of course, they had won the war!

The memories rushed through his head; Zuko being crowned Fire-Lord, him defeating Ozai and reacquiring the avatar state, Sokka's idea for the Harmony Restoration Movement, and the kiss with Katara, right outside Iroh's tea shop. The past few months had been rather crazy, and there was still a lot in store.

He let out a sigh, feeling his heart relax once more. The nightmare had been so real. He could feel the heat biting into his flesh, beads of sweat trickling down to the base of his spine from the sensation. His hands were still shacking and he felt woozy. Just because you were the avatar did not mean that you got a free pass on nightmares, they had been haunting him since the end of the war, getting worse and worse as they moved further into peace. It almost felt like a bad omen.

A noise brought Aang out of his thoughts, bringing him back to the room. A soft cooing had begun at the base of the door, calling out to him. A furry paw shot underneath the base of the stone door, the gold trim shining next to the white and black of the creature's arm. He smiled, walking over to the door and opening it, knowing what he was going to see.

"You miss me buddy?" He asked, holding out his arm. Momo sat before him, his furry body shifting quickly as he leapt unto Aang's arm, scurrying up to Aang's neck, making a comfortable perch around his bald head. Momo began to chatter, taking a second to lick Aang's ear, making him laugh at the sensation. He returned the lick with a pat on the head.

"I missed you too Momo." He said, looking out into the hall. "Come on, let's go find the others." He said, walking out. Momo began chattering, staring about with that naturally curios gaze that is common to his kind.

Aang walked down the white marbled hall, red pillars with bases of gold flanking him on either side. He looked outside, watching the golden leaves sway in the breeze, red roses and purple lilacs slowly wilting away with the coming cold. The sound of his feet echoed throughout the hall, accompanied by Momo's incessant chirping, bringing a smile to his face. The fear from his nightmare slowly trickled away as the daylight greeted him.

Aang strolled down the hall, looking from side to side to see if the others were coming out. Usually he was the first one awake, but today it seemed that he had slept longer than normal, being entrapped by his ghoulish nightmare, but that was behind him now. Eventually he came to the dining hall, where a perpetual aroma of delightful scents continually flowed out, beckoning to each passerby that they should come and sate their desire on succulent dishes, or at least that was what the head chef said, to him it just smelled really good outside the door.

As he approached two guards appeared, clad in black armor, with purple cloaks clasped to their shoulders with golden brooches designed in the form of the fire-nation emblem. A new design that Jack thought made a more intimidating force. Aang had to admit, he liked the purple.

They stepped from their positions at the base of the two pillars to open the door for him, their black armor clinking, swords strapped to their sides. They were firebenders, but Jack believed that proper weapon's instruction was key for any guardsman, bender or not. That way, the next time a day of black sun came, the guards would still be able to perform their duties.

He gave both a wide grin and a bow, thanking them for their kindness. The guards responded in kind and returned to their posts, letting the massive double doors slam shut behind him.

The delectable smell of food was even stronger now that he had entered the room, and just as he had expected his friends were all there, sitting at the grand wooden table, golden trim outlined against a dark wooden stain. His friends sat scattered about the table, separating into their normal clicks.

Zuko was at the head of the table, as was his position, Mai sitting by his side. They sat there chatting, exchanging small talk in a manner that Aang had not thought possible for either of them. Suki and Sokka sat more towards the middle of the table on the left side, across from Katara and Toph, arguing in low, hushed tones. Hands flew about as Sokka tried to make some point or another, but Suki merely shook her head, causing an enraged huff from Sokka as he turned back to his food, ignoring her comments.

Aang rolled his eyes; ever since the end of the war those two had not been able to keep out of each other's mugs. They always seemed to find something new to argue about, whether it was favorite dishes, personal clothing, or just opinions on the day. They always disagreed, which had already resulted in more than one altercation, none of them, thankfully, ending in blows, but he feared that it was only a matter of time before one of them snapped.

Shifting his gaze, Aang looked over at Toph and Katara, a merrier couple, or at least Katara was. Toph sat slouched in her seat, picking at a bowl of rice. Her hair sat about in her normal shaggy style she preferred, being adorned in her favorable earth kingdom wear. The only thing out of place, aside from her forlorn attitude, was the golden necklace she wore about her neck, a green diamond shining in the center. It clinked as she moved, a present from Jack that she was loath to be departed from. Aang noticed that her meteorite bracelet was missing. Strange.

Shaking off the thoughts, he turned his attention to his favorite person in the room, looking at Katara. Katara was her normal, radiant self. Her hair was let down today, having been meticulously combed in such a manner to imitate a flowing river of silk. Her blue eyes sparkled in the company of her mother's betrothal necklace, an item she was rarely seen without. Her blue dress with white accents was simple, yet elegant, complementing her sinuous body. She was gorgeous; however, to him, Katara looked beautiful in anything. She could be wearing a sack and he would still find her the most beautiful person in the world. They said that love was blind.

He walked down towards the table, stopping to give Katara a kiss on the check as he took his seat beside her, delighted that he could now do that almost anytime he wanted.

"How are you doing this morning?" He asked. Katara blushed at having been kissed, but quickly recovered.

"I'm doing great." She said. "I'm so excited for tonight, the festival is going to be great!" He smiled even more.

"I know, I can't wait." He said.

"Well, I hope you wait long enough to try my cooking, it would really break my heart if I slaved away for nothing." Aang turned in his seat to see the burly form of Jack striding towards them, white apron on and steaming dishes in hand. His massive forearms barely wavered underneath the platter of dishes as he skillfully maneuvered across the floor, setting the platter down in front of him.

"Steamed rice, vegetables, and honey noodles, my own concoction." Said the man, a wide grin on his face. Aang looked dubiously at the bowl of noodles that sat before him, unsure of their potency. They sat in a simmering, golden broth, and did indeed seem enticing. A scrumptiously sweet odor rose out of it, inviting him to try it, but Aang knew better.

While Jack was a great bender, friend, and cook, whenever he tried to introduce a new dish made from the confines of his imagination it seemed that they all got sick. Once when he thought that sugar-cane and rice could be combined with cherries the result was two days of unrelenting stomach cramps and a lot of unpleasant words towards Jack, who himself did not try any. Toph had gotten the worst of it, developing a fever and becoming delirious, revealing more than one embarrassing secret that they all swore never to reveal, especially to her.

So, with that thought in mind, he looked over at Sokka, who was currently munching down on his breakfast with a substantial amount of contempt. Since he could not establish eye contact with Sokka, he turned to Katara and gave her a raised eyebrow. She smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, showing him an empty bowl of what must have been Jack's noodles. No adverse side effects yet. Jack gave him a hardy smack on the back.

"Don't worry Aang, I tried them before dolling them out this time. There's nothing wrong with them, as far as I can tell." Said Jack, turning back towards the kitchen, stopping to look back at Aang for a second. "Can I interest you in some orange-mango juice?" He asked. Aang, already consumed with his rice and vegetables, gave Jack a thumbs up. Jack laughed.

"Alright then, just give me a few seconds." He disappeared through a door leading to the kitchen, the sound of bustling pans and simmering dishes emanating from the open door.

Aang watched as his friend disappeared into the kitchen, thinking back to the events leading to him being here. The last time he had seen Jack was when they were underneath Ba Sin Sey in the old capital, fighting Azula. Jack had dropped in on them, surprising them all. Confronting Azula he had sounded enraged and set on killing her, something totally out of character for Jack, or at least he thought it was. Admittedly he did not know the man that well. He had tried to talk him down but something had happened while Jack was out and about by himself that had changed him, something terrible.

In the end Jack had not been reasonable and refused to listen to what Aang and Katara had to say. Against their wishes Jack had moved to kill Azula, who was trapped in his grasp. That was when Zuko had entered the scene. Zuko had nailed Jack straight in the back with a fireball, taking him out. As Jack's body fell to the ground Aang had been certain that he was dead, and as the days past afterwards when he regained consciousness that view was only reinforced by what the others said.

However, as it turned out, Jack was not dead. Aang had learned from Zuko that Jack had survived and was taken back with the royals to the capital, where he was promptly tossed in jail. Apparently Azula had assigned the top doctors in the fire-nation to take care of him and eventually Jack regained his health, only to be prodded at by Azula. It was scary the measures that Azula would take just to torture somebody.

Zuko said that on the day of black sun he went back to the prison to try and rescue his uncle, but Iroh had already broken out. Aang had asked him if he had checked Jack's cell as well, he had. And, as it so happened, it was empty as well. How Jack escaped, where he had gone, and what he did up to the final battle was all a mystery, and one that Jack was not willing to enlighten them about, as he staunchly opposed any and all questions about that time period. He told them he would tell them when he was ready. That was a month ago, apparently he was still not ready.

When Jack had first returned to them, three days after the final battle, he and Zuko had been at ends. Eventually they settled things though; by settle things Aang meant that they had duked it out with fists and bending until both of them was a bloody pulp. Toph had said it was some masculinity thing, but he didn't get it, all he knew was that afterwards the two were best friends. Apparently getting stabbed in the back was not that big of a deal.

Shanking off his thoughts of Jack, Aang returned his focus to those at the table with him, smiling at the thought of them all here with him, happy and safe. A long, drawn out sigh from Toph attracted his attention. Well, some of them were happy.

Toph let out another sigh, blowing her hair away from her eyes in a flaccid manner, though it did not do her any good. He turned to her, his mouth full of rice and surprisingly non-sickening noodles.

"What's the matter Toph?" He asked, trying to keep all his food in his mouth. Toph chased a few grains of rice around in her bowl with a set of chopsticks.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just feeling a bit down today, it's been rather slow lately." She gazed into her bowl, her unseeing eyes staring into a perpetual sea of darkness, doomed to the assiduous blackness that enveloped her in every waking moment. Aang looked at her with pity; something had been bugging her the last few days; she had not been her usual self. She seemed gloomy and forlorn, two epithets not usually used to describe the blind earth-bender. He set down his bowl, letting it clink against the table.

"You want to come with us tonight for the festival?" He asked, coming up with the idea out of the blue. Katara choked on something behind him.

Toph did not bother looking up. "Naw, I think that I would just be a burden on you guys." She said. Aang persisted.

"No you wouldn't, we've always have a good time together, come on, it will be great! There's going to be traditional food, a lot of meat I would guess, and parades and floats and games and shows; it's going to be so much fun! We can go see the…" At this Aang trailed off, having used one of the forbidden verbs. Toph hardly seemed to notice, consumed with her melancholy.

"Thanks, but no thanks twinkle-toes. I think I'll find my own way of amusing myself for tonight if that's all right with you." Aang was disappointed, but he knew when Toph would not budge.

"Alright." He said. A relieved sigh emanated from behind him. He turned and glared at Katara. She blushed, then hurriedly returned her attention to her breakfast.

Jack reentered the room, bringing Aang the promised glass of juice. He set it down before Aang, stopping to give his attention to Toph. He came over to her, squatting down to be at her level as she slouched in her chair. He exchanged a few soft whispers with her, obviously concerned. Toph responded in kind, turning her head just so slightly so as not to let anyone over hear. Jack laid his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner, then stood and walked over to Zuko. Leaning over, he whispered in his ear, nodding over towards Toph. Zuko took a pause with Mai to look over at his little friend. He listened intently as Jack spoke to him, his tone hushed and impossible to hear over the din of noises in the room.

Aang looked at them curiously, wondering what it was that they were discussing. Soon Jack continued on, shaking hands with Zuko briefly before he left the dining hall through the front door. Zuko looked up at Toph once more, then turned his attention back to Mai, but not with the same ardent focus he had demonstrated just a few moments ago. Aang's curiosity was piqued; what had been exchanged in that brief conversation?

This curiosity persisted throughout the rest of breakfast. However, as they began to finish their meals, he found himself consumed once again with Katara, and the possibilities of their future together. His thoughts sped away and soon Toph was nothing but a remote concern.

Slowly people began to leave, eventually leaving only Toph and Zuko in the room. Silence dominated, the only sound that of the hurried feet of the servants across the marbled floor, retrieving dishes followed by the clang of pots and pans being scrubbed. Toph let out a sigh, looking blankly at the table, obviously in a blue mood.

Zuko sat still, stroking his chin and trying to dismiss the butterflies in his stomach. Eventually Toph arose, silent. She began to move to the door, apparently ready to drag her depression to another room. Zuko looked up, coming out of his stupor. He raised a hand, meaning to stop Toph, only realizing afterwards that a raise hand was not going to do anything.

"Toph." He said, his voice scratchy and faint. She stopped, not bothering to turn.

"Ya?" She replied tacitly. Zuko cleared his throat, tugging at his collar with a nervous hand.

"Please, sit down, I want to talk to you." He said. Toph blew a strand of hair away from her face, a sign that she was not at all pleased with the current situation.

"You couldn't talk to me when I was already sitting?" She said, annoyance sinking into her voice. Zuko laughed, embarrassed, hoping that she wasn't going to hurt him.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of the right things to say."

Toph sighed and came over, plopping herself down in her seat, three chairs down from the head of the table. Zuko knew better than to push his luck with Toph, especially when she was in one of her vitriolic moods. She was likely to bite his head off at the slightest misconstrued phrase or action, especially if it had to deal with seeing anything.

He stood up and walked over to the chair on Toph's right, grabbing the smooth wood and pulling it back, sitting down a bit too hurriedly. He rubbed his sweaty palms together before he started.

"What's up Sparky?" Asked Toph, taking a second to pick her teeth. Zuko stammered, searching for the right words.

"Well, uhmm, I really don't know how to start this." He said, the words still failing him. A panicked expression shot across Toph's face.

"You're not trying to express some undying love for me are you?" She asked. Zuko sat back, his cheeks turning bright red.

"What? No… no, I'm not trying to hit on you." He said, flustered. Toph blushed as well, turning away from Zuko.

"Good, because, no offense or anything, but you aren't really my type." Zuko gave a nervous chuckle.

"No, that's not it, I have Mai."

"And she is lovely." Replied Toph.

"Thanks." Responded Zuko, rubbing the back of his neck. Real smooth wise guy.

"No, uhmm, what I want to talk to you about has to do with that fieldtrip you wanted to go on." He said, hoping this did not sound like a secret date or something. Toph looked perplexed.

"Fieldtrip, what fieldtrip?"

"You know, the one on the beach, when Aang disappeared right before Sozin's comet?" It was Toph's turn to blush.

"Ohh, that one." She said, letting her hair cover more of her face.

"Ya, that one." He said, rubbing his hands nervously. "I just thought that since everyone already has plans for the big autumn festival tonight that we could, you know, go on a little adventure."

He watched as Toph mulled things over for a moment. Her milky green eyes sparked with thoughts, her face conveying an argument in her head. She sucked at the side of her cheek, taking a second to spit out a stray grain of rice. Zuko hoped that it was a good sign.

"Will there be any fighting?" She asked. Zuko felt his heart leap, diverting his eyes down to his feet, loath to say it to her face.

"More than likely." He said. A thought came to Toph.

"Why are you doing this Sparky? Is it because you think I need cheering up?" She said. Zuko knew that the blind-earthbender hated it when people did things out of pity for her, but took a risk and decided to be honest.

"Yes, I think you do need to be cheered up. You've been gloomy lately, and I think that you've been cooped up too long. It's time that you got out, and I think that it will do us some good to have some quality time together." Toph still looked skeptical. Zuko wanted to smack himself. Quality time? Why had he said that?

"But what about Mai?" She asked. Zuko felt relief rush through him, his blunder in wording being dismissed.

"She understands, I think she's making plans with Ty-Lee anyways." Toph still did not look convinced though, her face conveying doubt. She still wanted a way out.

"What about your Fire-Lord duties? Surely they aren't just going to let you go tramping around the country side when you've got big-wig things to take care of?"

"I'm the Fire-Lord, they better let me do as I please" Said Zuko, then on a more serious note. "Besides my Uncle is here for the festival, I'm sure that he wouldn't mind taking over for a day or two." Toph raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"A day or two, where exactly are we going?" She asked. A sly grin cracked across Zuko's face. He had her suckered in.

"Well now, that would be telling."

* * *

The dank stone covered in moss dripped water, being neglected and forlorn from any form of care for who knows how long. A fetid stench rose up from the ground, permeating the air and creating a light green mist. Ghoulish screams of insanity, mindless mumbling, and horrific eyes, large, unrelenting, and dejected sat on the walls and on every corner. And through this hellish landscape strode a single figure.

The eyes stared through bars and windows, following the figures every step, their nervous twitching creating the sensation of movement, yet they rested still, unblinking, and unseeing. They stared, but they did not see, merely noticing the shade passing through their turbulent reality. The dissolution of the mind is a terrible thing.

The dark figure continued his journey through the sea of ambivalence, clothed in a black hood and cape. Heavy boots clunked across the stone, a dull light shining out from an old lantern, cracked and splintered. He walked cautiously, staying exactly in the middle of the hall. Rotten hands accompanied by distorted cries shot out from the bars, reaching for him. He avoided them, however, moving on and staying out of their reach, squashing the urge to stop and try to help these poor souls. He knew that no matter what he did they would still be lost in a world that he would never know, in a universe that he could not understand, and in a peril that he could not face for them.

The figure continued down to the end of the hall, pulling up in front of a solid steel door. Black scorch marks burst out from the cracks, marking the walls and running along the floor; someone had been trying to blast their way out.

The figure took a golden key from his pocket, inserting it into the lock. It turned it slowly, the gears grinding at the motion, refusing to be budged, but they clicked open none the less. A steady hand reached out and grasped the handle, turning it with only the slightest pause. The door opened with a noisy creak, char falling off the hinges. The figure stepped in, bringing the door almost completely shut, leaving only a slight crack behind him.

The cell, unlike the other putrid filth piles, was actually well furbished, or at least it had been. It had drapes, chairs, a table and desk, and even a queen sized bed, adorned with silk sheets. Everything, however, was tossed about. The drapes were burnt, the chairs shattered; the desk and table scorched. The walls, once painted and clean, now resembled that of a battlefield, fire burnt across in every conceivable angle, cracks running along the entire room. The only thing that remained completely intact was the bed. The red silk sheets sat perfectly folded, not a speck of dust resting on them. The pillows remained fluffed and in their proper positions. The wood frame was spared the fury that had stricken the rest of the room like some crazed carouse. Its bronze lacquer shone dimly in the light of a candle that sat in the middle of the room, burning with a low blue flame.

"Come to see the animal again?" Hissed a voice, sadistic and cold. A figure moved slowly from the corner, rising into the cold light.

Azula stood at the edge of the candlelight, smiling with a condescending grin, even within her cage. Her calm demeanor was accompanied with perfect apparel. A red dress, emblazoned with gold thread, ran down to her ankles, clinging tightly to her, revealing her sinuous body. A dragon swirled about her chest, emerald eyes peering out of the gloom. Long sleeves covered her hands, exposing only her nails, which shone with an ardent red polish that was more dastardly than soothing on her. Her hair, as usual, was perpetual perfection, rivaling that of no one. She wore it brushed down, straight and smooth with a golden flower sitting in it, rubies sparkling harshly in the petals. Her face was bare of any makeup save that of her lips, which shined bright with a deep crimson hue, contrasting her brilliant golden eyes. She stood elegant and proud, not letting her surroundings bring down her prestigious aura. She may have been a prisoner, but she was the queen of prisoners.

The guest lowered his hood, revealing Jack's face, calm yet sad. Azula laughed, a caustic and harsh noise.

"You never cease to amaze me, street rat. Even now you come to nibble at my majesty. Well, come on, have your fill." Azula shot a bolt of blue flame at the candle, brightening the room further. She stepped up, lifting her hands in a delicate manner. She turned slowly, allowing Jack to see every sumptuous curve of her body, daring him, goading him. Jack stared without blinking, a mélange of hatred and sorrow stricken across his face. Her amorous behavior was not new to him, but this was something else.

Never before had she been so tempting, so ardent, so divine. Yet even with her fey appearance, surpassing that of the goddesses of old, she could not take away her insidious personality that daunted her with every step. Every action was a plot, every movement a ploy. Always she schemed, always she manipulated, and always she competed, trying to dominate all who she came into contact with, and even those she did not.

"You look enchanting, as always." Said Jack, being honest. A smug smile spread across Azula's face.

"Of course I do." She said, setting herself delicately on her bed, crossing her legs. "Just because my brother stuck me in the nut-house doesn't mean that I can't stay dignified. I will not sacrifice my high-society status, even while in prison." Jack rolled his eyes.

"As pretentious as always as well, I see." He said, sitting down cross-legged and leaning up against the wall. Azula frowned.

"It's not being pretentious if it's true." She said. "That's what you said." She continued, a sneer on her face. Jack shook his head.

"I was referring to the Creator. There's a big difference between you and the Creator, Azula. He has all power, you do not. Right now I would even say that you wield no power." He said, knowing he was going to get a reaction. Azula's eyes grew wide, the pupils expanding to cover the whole of the iris.

"I did control everything!" She spat, standing up. "Everything was beneath my fingertips, the world was mine to command." Blue flames began to grow along her finger tips as her anger rose.

"Then Zuko came with his merry band of fools and ruined everything! I had everything, everything I could have dreamed of; power, servants, wealth, and an army to do my biding. The world was mine for the taking! But now, now it's all gone, all because Zuko betrayed me!" Her eyes narrowed and zeroed in on Jack. "You betrayed me." She hissed menacingly.

Within those few simple moments Azula had totally transformed from the dignified yet pernicious royal to a crazed and hackneyed inmate. Her eyes bounced around, not taking a moment to rest. Her dress, which before had seemed regal and elegant, now seem dull and ragged, a mockery to true apparel. Her face, which before was radiant, was now mottled and crazed, revealing one who lacked sufficient control. She shook with tremors, her whole body desiring to attack. The flames that had started as small tendrils now burst into bloom, engulfing her hands and singeing her dress.

She had revealed her true self; the calm and prestigious façade had fallen away to show the wretched and villainess persona beneath, the one whom many feared, but few loved. Jack shook his head slowly, wishing he could take back his words. He always had a knack for setting her off, and now, with her in such a fragile state, it seemed sadistic and cruel to do it to her, reducing her to such a shell of her former self. But still there was something about it that he enjoyed.

Jack sat and watched as she began ragging about her cell, casting fire all around her. Blue fireballs shattered against the walls, cascading to the floor in a shower of sparks. She yelled and stomped, hitting everything in the cell save two things; her bed, and him. There were no bars or walls to shield him from her furry, and there were no guards in wait to spring into action and subdue her if she should turn her wrath on him. It could have been totally possible that she would strike at him, overpower him, and escape out of her cell.

However, even if she did it would be futile. There were so many locked doors and barred ways that none could get through them. Each one had a different key and a different guard standing at the post. If the guard should be overcome somehow by one of the inmates the prisoner would merely find themselves locked in with nowhere to go but towards the heart of the prison, which ended at Azula's cell.

Jack could not say whether it was because she knew of this fact or that she did not want to harm him anymore that she did not attempt to assail him. He liked to think it was the later.

He sat, calmly and patiently, waiting for Azula's furry to subside. Eventually she began to regain control; her anger abated her and she stood still, her back to Jack. Her shoulders rose and fell softly, her body wearied from her outburst.

She took in a deep breath, straightening her dress. She returned to her seat, sitting down and crossing her legs.

"Sorry about that, just a temporary thing." She said, without a trace of insanity, as if it had just been a fit of coughs. Jack smiled.

"Don't worry about it, I know what it's like to be crazy." He said.

"Yes, so it would seem." Replied Azula, brushing her hair back behind her head.

"So, tell me darling, why is it you choose to come here, after everything that has transpired between us. If I remember right the last time we met outside caged walls you were holding a knife to my throat." She said. Jack nodded his head.

"Ya, sorry about that. I wasn't…me." He said. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't you, well then who were you, the avatar?" She said, grinning smugly. Jack shook his head.

"You know what I mean Azula. You had broken me, you won. I wasn't anything like I used to be, and we both knew it, but I'm back now, and I'm not going to give up again." He said. Azula looked at a painted nail.

"Is that so, and what exactly are you not going to give up this time?"

"You." He replied simply. Azula laughed.

"Really, is that your play? Trying to reclaim the past are we? Well then, by all means go ahead, do your best. But just to warn you, sometimes the past is best left good and dead. There are some things back there I would rather leave, if you know what I mean"

* * *

Aang paced about the halls, seeking for anything to occupy his mind. Katara had disappeared into her room right after lunch, leaving him to entertain himself until the festival. When he asked her why it was she was locking herself in her room she merely responded that it was a surprise. He had responded back by saying that he did not like surprises; Katara had shut the door in his face.

He had spent the first half an hour or so trying to peek through the lock in the door or the crack at the bottom of it, but that attempt was soon thwarted when Suki walked up, in a foul mood, and gave him a kick to the ribs, telling him to stop being such a pervert. Deciding that it was wise to listen to her warning he had quickly abandoned the area of the palace, loath to incur her wrath again, lest he receive another blow.

His first thought was to go and see Sokka, but since the cause of Suki's foul mood was more than likely Sokka he decided not to go and find him, as he blamed Sokka for his now bruised ribs. His next thought was to go and find Toph, but as he searched throughout the grounds it quickly became apparent that she was not around either.

He then tried to see if Mai or Ty-Lee wanted to do something, but they had to prepare their big circus act they had tonight, so that idea was shot down. Even Momo had disappeared, flying off who knows where. He now wondered about the halls in desperation, seeking anything to palliate his boredom.

While pacing about, hands in pockets, he ran into Sokka, literally. Sokka was sprinting down the hall, trying to get away from something. He rounded the corner, and crashed directly into Aang while he was walking over towards the library, figuring he could try reading a book, as boring as they were.

The two fell down in a mass of tangled arms and legs. Sliding across the marble floor. Aang grunted, pushing Sokka away from him.

"Sokka, what in the world are you doing?!" He demanded. Sokka stood up hurriedly, got his foot stuck under Aang's leg, and fell over again. Aang shot Sokka away with a blast of airbending, sending him sliding across the floor to the wall. He stood up, wiping away the imaginary dust that had accumulated on his clothing, as the palace was kept so clean that the average life span of a piece of dust was about two and a half seconds.

"What in heaven's name are you doing Sokka?" He asked as Sokka stood up again, looking over his shoulder to where he had come. Aang froze as a tiger-lion roared through the air. Toph in rage.

"Who's the bozo that took my necklace?!" Aang looked back down the hall, terror swallowing him whole. He had encountered Toph on one too many occasions when she was ticked off, he did not relish the idea of adding another to the list.

Sokka came over and pushed something into his hands, turning and taking off down the hall, his feet a blinding flurry. Aang felt his heart stop as the sound of metal clinked in his hands. He looked slowly down to the thing that Sokka had left in his hands; Toph's gold necklace.

The only thing that was missing was the green diamond that usually sat in the center, an inscription running around it reading, _Toph Bei Fong, Best Earthbender Ever!_

Aang's eye twitched as he realized what Sokka had done. He had taken the diamond and left him with just the necklace. Now if Toph caught him with only the necklace she would beat the pulp out of him for not having the diamond. Then again she might just beat him up anyways, to the sound of his pleas and cries of innocence. He had to admit, it was a good setup.

Toph rounded the corner, her hair dripping wet and a towel thrown around her; apparently she had been taking a bath when Sokka had stolen the necklace. Good plan, must have made too much noise though.

Her unseeing eyes turned on Aang as her feet came into effect, freezing him to the spot.

"Twinkle-toes." She hissed between her gritted teeth. "I should have known better." She began marching over to him, the earth beneath him quaking with every step. He quickly decided, probably against better judgment, that his best option was to run for it.

Turning, he fled down the hall as quickly as his feet and airbending could take him, leaving a fuming Toph to follow in hot pursuit. Boulders began to wiz past his head as he ran down the straightest hall he had ever seen. He bobbed and weaved from side to side, allowing Toph to catch up but presenting her with a more difficult target. He had almost gotten away when he felt something snag at his foot.

He fell to the ground with a cry, tumbling and letting the necklace slide out of his grasp and across the floor, going all the way to the end of the hall where it stopped. He shook his dazed head, trying to focus. He looked back at the gaining Toph, then over to where the necklace was. A grinning face met his glance as Sokka bent over and picked up the golden chain, quickly fleeing down the hall.

Aang looked back down the hall; a wire was set up low so that he would trip. Sokka had set him up again! What this was all accomplishing he had no idea but it certainly was working, Toph was gaining fast.

Aang closed his eyes, bracing himself for the end, but it never came. Toph cried out and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, sliding up to where he was laying. She had tripped over the wire too. Her cheeks turned fiery red as she looked over at him.

"YOU…Are going…to DIE…Twinkle-toes." Aang could not tell whether she was pausing for the dramatic effect or because she was trying to regain lost oxygen but he did not stick around to find out. He quickly leapt to his feet and shot away from Toph's death-grip.

Aang looked back to see Toph rolling to her feet, setting after him at a dead sprint. A thought suddenly occurred to him. _Why was Toph taking a bath? She never takes baths._ Another thought popped in his head. _Wow, that towel is really staying on._

His thoughts were interrupted as a rock clipped him in the ear. He spun, fell to the ground, rolled, and got back to his feet, barely losing a step. He sped as fast as he could, but even with airbending he could hardly keep his ground with Toph behind him.

As the next endless straight hallway came to an end Aang looked around for another trip wire, but this time there was none. He figured that his best bet was to go for the garden, then make a round out into the streets, hopefully Toph would be self-conscious enough not to go out while only wearing a towel. A boulder zipped past his head. Hopefully, but not likely.

Aang reached the door and leapt straight out, flying through the doorway. Something whirled through the air and when he hit the ground his ankles were caught and tied together. He fell to the ground for the third time in as many minutes, landing this time not on some hard slab of stone, but rather a nice soft, slurpy pool of mud.

He landed with a splosh, mud covering his face as he went in head first. He slowly pushed himself up out of the mud, his head snapping back as the mud relinquished its oozing hold. The thick liquid slowly dripped down his face, cool and slimy. He scraped it away from around his eyes, knowing what he would see.

Sokka stood behind a rose-bush, laughing so hard that he was crying. Aang tried standing up, but he lost his balance and fell on his back. He stared at the sky, his will to fight quickly abating. He would just lie here and die.

The sound of Toph's angered cry, however, reinvigorated him to move like the wind. He reached down and tried to untangle the weighted ropes about his ankles, but it was too late. Toph was charging straight through the door in a blind furry, and she was on a direct collision course with him. He reached up a hand, forgetting at the moment it would not do any good.

"Toph wait, don't…!" It was too late. Toph launched herself into the air at Aang, extending her arms to grab him with a howl of rage, a predator coming in for the kill. She crashed into him like an angry komodo-rhino, sending them back into the mud with an explosion that would have made a firebender amped up on Sozin's comet ashamed. Mud flew in every direction, splattering the pathway and back into the palace, right across the marble floor, where it lasted about three seconds before a servant cleaned it up. Sokka hid behind his rose-bush until the mud had ceased flying through the air, then he peaked out and started rolling on the ground with laughter.

Toph was currently pounding Aang into the mud with her bare hands, not even bothering to use her bending. Aang flailed about, trying to escape her grasp, but every time he almost crawled out she would grab him and drag him screaming back into the mud. The towel kept its vivacious grip.

"Stay still and take your beating like an earthbender." Growled Toph as she wailed on Aang.

"It wasn't me Toph! I swear it wasn't me!" Said Aang, trying to fend off the blows. Toph grabbed him by the collar and jerked him up to her face.

"Then who was it Twinkle-toes?" Snarled Toph. Aang about passed out from right then and there. He pointed a shaky hand over at Sokka, who was currently rolling on the ground holding his stomach, howling with laughter.

Toph turned her to where Sokka rolled around. Sokka realized that Toph had paused, and so carefully opened an eye, looking over at the mud hole. What he saw just put him back into more fits of laughter.

Toph and Aang stood in the mud ankle deep, well at least Toph. Aang floated just above the puddle, Toph holding him up with just one arm. A look of absolute fear could be seen through the thick layer of mud plastered on his face as he pointed over to the culprit. Toph now looked over at him, her once clean body now covered completely in a dark layer of mud. Sokka knew that he was in for it but he did not care, he would enjoy his triumph before his beating. He had played that perfectly.

Originally his whole plan was just to steal Toph's necklace and lead her on a wild goose-horse chase around the palace, using what traps he needed to slow her down until he could reach outside where she would have fallen into the mud hole, allowing him to make his getaway into town. Running into Aang, however, put an entirely new spin on his plan. He could now pin the blame on Aang, as he would leave Aang and Toph to fight it out it in the mud while he slipped into Aang's room to leave the necklace on his bed. The later part of his plan, however, did not come into fruition, as he got too caught up with the ebullient joy of seeing his plan carried out with such success that he just rolled on the ground laughing, leaving himself fully exposed to the wrath of Toph, something he was already too acquainted with.

Toph dropped Aang in the mud with a cry, stalking over to where Sokka was. He crawled back on all fours, taking a pause to hold up his hands.

"Now Toph, you can't prove that it was me who did that." He started. The sound of her necklace jingling in his hand, however, reminded him of how absurd that argument was. He kept backing up while Toph came at him, her frustration producing waves that rolled off her. She cracked her knuckles, the mud flying off of her. He bumped up against a cherry tree, resting his back against it. This was the end.

"You got to admit, it was funny." He said, smiling and cringing at the same time. He held out the necklace, which Toph promptly snatched out of his hand. She turned around and started walking away, not so much as giving him a slap to the face.

Sokka laid his head back and let out a sigh of relief. He had gotten off scot clean.

A pillar of earth shot out of the ground, sending him flying into the mud hole. Three earthen ribs came up and cinched tight, holding him in the mud. He wiggled and tried to get free but it was no use. Aang plopped by him, his feet sloaking through the mud. Sokka looked up at him with his best smile.

"Hey Aang, how about you be a friend and help me out huh?" Aang looked at him for a second and thought about it. He decided it would be funnier to throw mud in his face, so he bent all of the mud off of himself and into Sokka's face.

He walked inside with a smile on his face as Sokka groaned and whined, spitting mud out of his mouth. Toph as well, though the target of Sokka's scheme, walked back to the bath house with a grin on her face, towel still attached. It was nice having morons for friends, they kept you on your toes.


	2. The Birds and the Bees

**As the title suggests, this chapter does contain mature content. No actions, but plenty of talk about it. Aang gets to learn something new.**

**Chapter II**

Aang made his way back to one of the water rooms in the palace, stripping down and scrubbing himself. His bending was good, but he had mud in some places that he wasn't exactly comfortable in bending out. He wasn't that confident in his abilities

When he finally was squeaky clean and smelled like fresh flower he dried off and threw on a robe that Zuko had had tailored for him. He looked in the mirror, impressed.

The main part of the robe glowed with a golden hue, offset by a deep blue stripe running down across his chest. A blend of Air nation as well as Water-tribe symbols danced about the robe, marking his relationship with Katara. Gold thread ran along the sleeves, which were capped with blue sapphires. The rest of the outfit ran similar to that design, Air-nomad gold offset by Water-tribe blue. The outfit was completed with a dazzling gold sash that he tied about his waist. He felt the sash, running his hands gingerly through the soft thread; it was actually woven from gold. It was a good thing he was the avatar, otherwise he might be mugged for his outfit tonight. Then again, someone might try just for the heck of it, this thing was crazy!

To be honest with himself though, he thought that the whole outfit was a bit extravagant for a humble Air-nomad. He had been taught to avoid earthly comforts and separate himself from the material world, but this was a gift? Surely he could not reject it? As Jack had said before. _Do not reject a gift because it is to rich. This does not demonstrate humility but conceitedness, someone who thinks they are above matters of the earth. A gift is given from the heart, so take it at such a value. Do not presume you are a better person because you reject riches. _

Aang almost laughed out loud, amused by the little lecture. Ever since the war had ended Jack had become a proverb book of sorts, offering sage advice to anyone who would listen, and even those who would not. Whatever he had done for the back half of the war seemed to have made him into an Uncle Iroh of sorts, only not so wrinkly or tea obsessed. Maybe that came with age.

With that thought in mind he walked out the door, hoping that it was time to go see Katara.

He walked past her room and ventured to knock on the door, but when an exasperated Suki answered she told him to bug off until Katara opened the door herself. She then proceeded to slam the door in his face for the second time that day.

Realizing that it was probably best to leave Suki alone, he decided to go and see whether or not Sokka had broken from his prison of earth. Sure enough, there he was, clear as, well… mud.

"You're still stuck there?" Asked Aang, surprised. Toph turned to greet him, sitting next to Sokka on the nice clean grass, legs crossed.

"Snoozles still hasn't learned his lesson." She said, a sinister smile on her face. Sokka giggled, dried mud caked on his face. His fingers wiggle weakly underneath the mud, making small slurping noises.

"It was totally worth it." He said. Aang looked over at Toph, who was actually clean for once and adorned in her usual earthbender wear. The soft smell of peaches floated on the breeze. He lifted an eyebrow.

"Toph, did you use peach wash?" He asked. Sokka's face immediately dropped as he shook his head vigorously at Aang. He only realized his mistake when Toph froze, the earth beneath her hands bending slightly.

"Ya, so what if I did?" She said gruffly. Aang put a hand behind his head, his cheeks blushing from fear.

"Nothing, I just thought that I smelled peaches or something." He said, scooting back slowly. Toph turned her gaze back to Sokka, apparently not willing to get herself worked up over the subject.

"Whatever Twinkle-toes. Why don't you go bug someone else for a while? Sokka still has to learn his lesson." With that Toph bended a ball of mud straight into Sokka's face, causing him to cough and hack. A sly grin still stretched across his face, however.

"It was still worth it." He said through the mud. That got him another one to the face.

"I think she's got a hot date." Continued Sokka with a wide grin on his face, earning himself a beating. Aang walked back into the palace, avoiding the splatter of mud that followed him. He did not want to be Sokka at the moment. Come to think of it, he never wanted to be Sokka, who in their right mind would?

He slowly made his way back to Katara's room, not wanting to run into Suki but still drawn over there by the amorous desire to see his beauty. Eventually his love won over and he walked over to her room, this time taking a seat across the hall. He sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, waiting for someone to open the door, hopefully soon.

After what felt like an hour, but what was probably just a few minutes, the door opened. His heart leapt into his mouth as it flew away gracefully, revealing the form of an ever perturbed Suki. His countenance quickly fell, much to her annoyance.

"Don't worry lover boy, she's almost done. Where's dunderhead?" She asked. By that Aang figured she meant Sokka.

"He's in the garden with Toph." He said. Suki's eyes narrowed.

"Ohh is he now?" She said, menacingly. She stormed off, leaving Aang to shake his head as he watched her exasperated form disappear around the corner. What in the world had gotten into her lately? She was so irritable and jumpy, snapping at the smallest slight. He was even beginning to think that it wasn't Sokka's fault that things were going so poorly between them. If Katara started acting like that, which she would not, he had no idea how he would handle it. Perhaps Suki should go see a psychiatrist? He could recommend her to Dr. Fire, but then again that was just Sokka with a fake beard, so it might just make things worse.

He shook his head, sighing as he leaned further back, letting the cool marble rest against his skin. It was a trial having friends.

His head snapped around when he heard Katara's door clicking, his eyes staring at the door with an ardent passion. The dark wooden frame slowly started to open, quietly, on well-oiled hinges. For a moment he thought that his mind was slowing it down, but then he realized that it was actually opening really slowly.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, standing up. "No fair!" A giggle emanated from behind the door.

"Alright Aang, but you have to promise not to faint." Aang puffed up his chest and tried to sound manly, but it came out more comical than masculine.

"Alright." Katara giggled again, making him blush.

The door, as promised, open at a nice normal rate, giving Aang plenty of time to let his mouth drop, which he promptly did. Katara stood before him in a brilliant blue and gold dress, a match to his own outfit. Blue sapphires created the Water-tribe symbol on the right side of her chest, with a splash of gold behind it. Fine gold thread marked out the Air-nomad symbol on the left side of her chest with blue as the backdrop. The dress ran all the way down to her ankles, sparkling white silk complementing her rich, dark skin. The sleeves were loose, a mélange of gold and sapphire blue running down them to the white silk at the ends. A simple sliver ring with a blue diamond sat on Katara's right hand, her mother's necklace clasped elegantly about her neck. Her hair was let down, flowing down like a waterfall into a sea of rich, curly, chocolate froth.

Aang stopped, blinking at his minds description. Chocolate froth? Well, he did think she was really sweet. A plain gold clip sat in her hair, dotted with sapphires. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled, a waft of sweet honey floating on the breeze. She smiled with a blush, seeing his enamored stare. She cleared her throat.

"So…uhmm…how do I look?" She asked. A tender smile came to Aang's face. He stepped up and kissed her on the lips, soft and gently, the warmth from their mouths igniting the air. He pulled back to see Katara's blushing face.

"You look perfect." He said, offering her his hand. Katara took it delicately, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Let's go then." She said. Aang smiled and started walking down the hall, Katara by his side, the world at peace. They made their way to the front, hand in hand, soft smiles spread across their faces. They did not speak, not that there was anything to say, their touch was enough.

As they made their way down the hall a thought occurred to Aang. He checked just to make sure. Yup, he was right. Katara was taller than him.

* * *

Jack sat languidly against the wall, having stayed in the cell all day, watching Azula. After her outburst she had became forlorn, moping about the cell, muttering to herself, ignoring him as if he was not present. She spoke of the injury that had been inflicted upon her, betrayed by those closest to her, and how she would exact retribution, all in painfully clear detail. She paced and wringed her hands, her eyes darting about the cell. Twice she had kick the candle over, swearing at it and cursing it for betraying her as well. She then proceeded in her scheming in the dark until she became aware of the bleak cell around her, bringing her back to the candle and lighting it with a snap of her thumb.

Jack watched everything with a vacant stare, seeming not to notice any of Azula's antics. The only thing that betrayed him was the slight shift in his eyes and tightening of his neck muscles as he battled off ambivalent feelings that choked him and wet his eyes.

At long last he grew weary of watching her, figuring that she would not make any progress today, just as every other time he had come. He did not give up hope, however, for the hope of redemption was all that he had for Azula, and himself. After everything that they both had done redemption was the only answer, if it was possible for people like them. If it had been up to a court with all of their deeds laid out bare they would have both been at the gallows within the day. However, that was not how it played out, so now they both had to live with their nightmares. Two devils in the same room.

Jack stood up flaccidly, grunting as his stiff legs received circulation. Azula froze, the movement making her remember that someone else was in the cell with her. She turned her malevolent golden eyes on the intruder, taking a step towards him.

"You." She hissed softly. Jack looked up, surprised that Azula was acknowledging him now after the hours he had spent watching her. Azula took another step towards him.

"Why do you persist in coming here? Is it because you like the company? The loons do seem to match your personality, they are all capricious and follow their every whim just like you." Jack ground his teeth, knowing where she was going with this conversation. Every part of him wanted to lash out, to strike her down before she had a chance to really get started, but he had to show restraint and love if he ever wanted to help her. He had to let her speak.

"Azula, just don't, not today." He said, turning to leave. Azula grinned cynically, ignoring his warning and proceeding forth.

"Don't leave yet, there's so much to discuss." She said walking towards him. Jack shook his head, turning around, knowing he would regret it later. Azula smiled at him, brushing her hair back with her hand.

"So, Jack, darling." She started, the lilt of her voice oozing false civility. "How long did it take you to betray me? I'm just wondering." She said, seeing the exasperated look on his face. "You know, I've had lots of people betray me, I just wanted to know what you were thinking. Did you ponder upon it for days on end, thinking of what it would do? Or did she merely bat her lashes at you to make you fall head over heels for her."

"Azula, you know I didn't love her, not like that. She was like a sister to me." Said Jack, trying to control his rising choler. He held his hands by his sides, his fingers curling into fists. Azula noticed them, knowing she had struck a delicate cord.

"Ohh really? Well then why did you cry so much after she was gone? Did you miss her sinuous body? Those lushes curves and slim figure; surely they got your heart racing every time you saw her." Jack wanted to shut his eyes, to block out the images flashing before his mind, to forget about Azula, but he knew that if he did he might miss something, Azula might try and pull a fast one, and even though she had nowhere to go he did not put it past her; in her current condition she was liable to do anything. He should have never remembered.

"It was such a shame when she died, calling out for you and her brother; I think she expected you two to save her." Jack's knuckles creaked as he balled them tighter, the rage inside him building. Azula took another step closer.

"I really didn't want to do it, but you two left me no choice. You would not come out, so I had to take drastic measures." A tear began to snake down Jack's face, invisible in the gloom.

"You didn't have to kill her!" He said, shaking with rage. Azula took another step closer, sinister thoughts racing through her mind.

"You made me do it." She said. "You betrayed your nation, you turned your back on us, you chose to let her die." She finished, her words piercing him like daggers. He had spent most of the back half of the war learning to control his anger, but when it came to Azula he just could not do anything. She knew him so well that she merely had to breach upon a subject to crack his calm. This, this was overkill, and it warranted a reaction.

Jack howled out in rage, bringing his fist together and shooting two massive white flames at Azula. Her eyes widened with shock; she had miscalculated the severity of his reaction. She tried to protect herself, jabbing a stiff finger at the center of the flames to split it around her, but the force of his blast was too much and she flew back, slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Azula lay on the ground for a moment, trying to regain her breath. Jack took a step towards her, fear and shame flashing across his face. He walked over to her, reaching down to help her up, but she struck his hand, a fierce and wild look in her eyes.

"Don't touch me street-rat!" She said, spitting in his face. Jack stepped back, tears flowing down his face.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Azula stood up, her side bruised.

"You didn't hurt me you pathetic wretch! Now get out of here, my patience is at its end and I will no longer suffer your company!" Jack reached out a hand, but Azula turned away, her shoulders slowly moving up and down. Enraged and ashamed, he walked slowly to the door, grabbing his lantern on the way out. He paused as he walked out, wanting to look back, but not daring to, lest he allow himself to make another blunder. He slammed the door close behind him, making the walls shake. Azula remained standing in the bleak gloom, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Nothing would ever go right for them.

* * *

Aang and Katara stood in the vestibule to the palace, waiting for the others to be ready. Mai and Ty-Lee were already there, chatting away, well, at least Ty-Lee was. She was very excited that Mai and she were going to perform together, and though she would never admit it the slightest gleam of a smile could be seen on Mai's face, betraying her own excitement.

Sokka and Suki were there as well; evidently Suki had managed to negotiate Sokka's release, for what price Aang did not have the slightest clue, but it seemed as if Sokka and Suki were actually enjoying themselves together. Sokka had cleaned himself up at an astounding rate, making himself not only presentable but also fairly graceful, his lanky gait adorned in water-tribe regalia that his father had sent form the southern water tribe. A white fur colors sat around his neck, snow-wolf pelts running down the sides in a mix of white and blue. A necklace of snow white animal teeth sat around his neck, his boomerang clasped to his hip with a black belt studded with sapphires. He wore his hair pulled back into his usual wolf-tail, the only new addition being the blue and white band that held it in place, sparkling with Aang was sure was diamonds. He had to admit it, his friend sure knew how to clean up.

Suki was no slouch either, dressed in an all blue dress to match Sokka, simple yet elegant, a pearl necklace clasped about her neck. Her auburn hair was brushed down, laying delicately on her shoulders. She held her fan blades, acting as if they were actually fans, waving them around and slapping them in her hand when she was trying to make a point. Currently the two were in each other's arms, giggling and exchanging quick pecks. Aang nudged Katara and pointed at Sokka. She smiled.

"It's nice to see that those two are finally getting along, for the longest time I thought they were going to kill each other." Aang nodded in agreement.

"Ya, they sure seemed intent on doing that. Maybe they actually do have a chance." He said, glad that Sokka was finally happy. He wondered what had caused such a dramatic change in their attitudes towards each other. Perhaps it was Suki seeing Sokka in the mud, it could have brought back their fun sides. He shrugged his shoulders, at least they were getting along now.

Aang looked around at the rest of the hall. He spotted Toph sitting alone on a bench, her tongue stuck out at the sight, or rather sound, of Sokka and Suki in their amorous air. He giggled; Toph still had some growing to do before she found that appealing.

He paused for a moment. Then again, knowing Toph, she probably would never find that appealing. He laughed quietly to himself at the thought, thinking himself a witty guy. Katara raised an eyebrow but did not bother asking what he found so amusing, there were some things best left unknown, especially if it came from Aang's head.

Eventually Zuko entered the hall. He walked over to Mai and gave her a kiss, bringing a smile to her face. He spoke quietly to her for a few moments, seeming to confer something. Mai nodded her head, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He then gave Ty-Lee a hug, wishing her good luck. As he came over to them, Aang was surprised to see that Zuko was not dressed up at all, but rather he was wearing his traveling gear. Zuko walked up to them, trying to suppress a smile.

"You two look great." He said, giving each a hug. Katara raised another eyebrow.

"Why are you so happy?" She asked, a bit disturbed. "Sokka didn't give you his cactus juice did he?" Sokka cried out indignantly from across the hall, having heard Katara's rather loud declaration. Zuko turned red, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I just have had a pretty good idea, and I feel kinda giddy." Aang nodded his head.

"I know what you mean sifu hotman." He said. A frown came back to Zuko's lips, resembling his usual gloomy nature.

"I told you to stop calling me that." He said. Aang smiled.

"Sorry Mr. Fire-Lord." Zuko groaned, obviously determining that he was not going to win this, or any, conversation with Aang.

"Anyways." He said, moving on. "I just wanted to wish you guys a happy night." He said. Aang and Katara looked perplexed.

"Why, are you not coming with us?" They asked. The original plan for the night was for everyone to start out together, going to see Ty-Lee and Mai's show, then splitting up and going their separate ways for a while (this is where Aang's proposed invitation to Toph had taken place) until they all met up again for dessert. Apparently Zuko had changed plans and had not bothered telling them.

"No." He said, turning red. "I have other plans for the night." Aang raised his eyebrow.

"Like what?" He asked. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, uhmm, Toph and I were going to go have a little fieldtrip together, you know, get some bonding time." Aang looked at Katara, trying to hide his shock.

"A field trip?" Said Katara, befuddled. Fire-Lords did not simply go on field trips, and Zuko did not try to have 'bonding time' with anyone, for that matter neither did Toph. The whole situation seemed rather ridiculous.

"Ya." Said Zuko. "I kinda owe her one, you know because everyone else got to go on fieldtrips with me." Aang nodded his head; he had gone and visited the sun warriors where they learned the origins of firebending, Sokka and he had gone to the boiling rock and saved his father and Suki, and Katara had gone with him to find the man responsible for her mother's death. The only one out of their group who had not gone on a life changing trip with Zuko was Toph. Evidently that was about to change.

Katara was still a bit leery about the whole idea, her maternal instincts kicking in.

"I don't know Zuko, Toph hasn't been herself lately, I think she needs some time to rest." At this comment Toph perked up in the corner, having overheard Katara. Her cheeks turned an incredulous red as she heard Katara baby her. She was tempted to walk over and smack the nosey water-tribe girl in the back of the head, but that would upset Twinkle-toes, and Toph for once did not want to ruin his day. So, instead, Toph sat silent, stewing as Katara kept protesting to Zuko's idea.

"I just think that she's been through a lot lately and that it might be too overwhelming for her." Zuko tried to remain calm, but he obviously was irritated with Katara's incessant looming.

"Katara, look, we appreciate the concern, but I think that Toph can decide for herself what she wants to do, and she wants to get away for a while, I promise that she will come back in one piece." Zuko looked over at Toph, who was currently frowning at him with a glare that would have curdled fresh dairy. He cringed.

"What about you?" Asked Aang. Zuko looked at Toph's hauteur, then back at Aang and Katara.

"That I can't guarantee." He said, lowering his voice. Toph leaned forward, trying to catch that last part. Aang and Katara looked at each other, befuddled. They looked back at Zuko.

"Alright, I guess neither of you are children."

"We sure ain't Sugar-Queen!" Yelled Toph, bringing all other conversations to a halt. Katara blushed as everyone looked over at her, embarrassed.

"Sorry Toph." She said. Toph merely harrumphed and looked away. Zuko twiddled his fingers together.

"There's one last thing." He said.

"What is it?" Asked Aang. Zuko looked around, not sure how to put it.

"I'm going to borrow Appa for a while." Aang opened his mouth, ready to protest, but Katara put a hand over his mouth.

"Alright, just take care of him." She said. Zuko bowed, turning and walking away. Toph stood up, walking glumly behind him. Sokka and Suki were kissing when she walked by; she punched Sokka in the kidney and broke it up.

Aang stared after Zuko and Toph, then over at Katara, then back at Zuko and Toph.

"Why'd you do that!?" He said. Katara shrugged her shoulders.

"You would have just argued with him, and I really just want to get on with our night." She said. Aang's face was troubled as he watched the two walk away. Katara noticed it, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Appa is a ten-ton flying bison, I think that he can take care of himself." She said. Aang looked unsure, but the time to leave was quickly approaching. The others began to mull about, slowly making their way to the front door. He looked once more to where Zuko and Toph had disappeared, then back at Katara.

The front doors opened, allowing a cool, gentle breeze to blow in. The breeze caught Katara's hair, making it float with an amorous air. Aang was smitten, and slowly he began to walk towards her outstretched hand. He reached out, grabbing it tenderly. The warm tingling feeling of her silky skin against his sent a jolt through his system. He smiled, half to himself and half at Katara, his thoughts on Appa and Zuko quickly melting away. With her by his side, nothing could go wrong.

* * *

Zuko looked up at the setting sun, watching as its fiery tendrils reached out into the sky, setting the clouds alight in flaming colors, making them glow like opals and rose rubies. Wind swept past him, blowing in his face and lifting his hair up, bringing a slight chill to his skin. Far below him, resting in the nooks and folds of the rolling green hills, sat small towns, torches ablaze as they celebrated the end of autumn.

A sigh departed from his lips. Those were his towns, his villages, his people. It was now his responsibility to keep them safe and to look after their well-being. The problem was that he did not know how to do that. He had spent most of his life in exile, searching for that avatar, he did not know how to run a nation. Unless it was a lot like running a ship of soldiers he was going to have issues.

What made it even worse was that Jack told him that not everyone was behind his rule. A lot of the populace still supported Ozai and his militaristic expansion. They wanted him to continue in his father's path and conquer the other nations, but he knew he could not do that.

That was not the only problem, however, as the foreign nations were also distrustful of him, even with the avatar's support. Many of them wanted him thrown in prison for his war crimes. They wanted to dismantle the Fire-Nation Empire and institute a series of militarized districts for the Fire-Nation to live under until they were de-militarized to the extent that was desired. They also had wanted Ozai and Azula put to trail for war crimes and eventually executed, so when he had decided to not only do away with war trials but also keep both of them alive he had caused great discontent in the other nations. Now they all watched him, waiting for him to make an aggressive move that they considered an act of war. He was balancing on the edge of a knife.

Zuko shook his head. What was he doing out here? He did not know how to help people. He barely knew how to help himself, let alone a friend or a nation. Sure he trained the avatar, and had helped both Sokka and Katara, but that was easy. He had a task at hand and all he had to do was get it done. This, this was different. He had a task to accomplish, but this time he could not just hatch a stealthy scheme to sneak into a prison. He also could not just hunt down his subject and confront them like he had with Katara. No, this required a greater level of care and precision. This required, civility and cordiality, two things he was pretty sure he did not possess. However, if he was able to pull this off then maybe it meant that he could rule a nation, or at least help his friends.

He sighed. This was all going to end in disaster wasn't it? Maybe if he was lucky Toph would kill him so he wouldn't have to worry about his nation, they could find a better replacement.

After a few more minutes of staring off into the sunset he turned, looking at Toph as they soared through the air.

She sat still, her milky green eyes staring out into nothing. She was utterly blind up here. On the ground it was easy to forget that Toph was blind, in fact she seemed to get by a whole lot better than everyone else. But up here, in the air, she was so fragile, so delicate, almost like a flower; if one held it out in the breeze the petals would be blown away.

Zuko shook the thoughts from his head; Toph would kill him if she knew what he was thinking of at the moment. Then again she was liable to kill him anyways when they reached their destination. Toph was not known for her forgiving nature.

He shifted positions, looking over his shoulder to make sure that they were flying in the right direction. At the moment there was no need for anyone to be directing Appa, he just had to be heading back towards the earth-kingdom, towards Goaling.

He shivered as he thought of the murderous deeds Toph was liable to perform when she found out that he was dragging her back to see her parents, but it was something that he felt she needed to do, or, at least, what Jack thought she needed to do, he had just got suckered in. From what he had gathered from the others he figured that Toph's relationship with her parents was rather fractured, something he could easily relate too. Apparently Jack figured that he would be able to help because of his broken family, but the man seemed to have forgotten that his family was still broken, and it wasn't getting much better. Pop in the clinker, Azula in the nut house, ya, his family was pretty screwed up. But maybe if he helped Toph fix things with her folks then he would be able to do the same, or at least get started.

He shook his head. This was a terrible idea, why did he let himself get talked into this?

"So Sparky, where exactly are we going?" Zuko jumped as Toph's voice intruded upon his thoughts, anxiety welling in his chest as he thought about her reaction once she found out.

"It's going to be a surprise." He said laconically, hoping his voice did not sound too tight. Toph blew a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"Ya, I bet I'll never see it coming." Zuko cringed, feeling that he somehow set her up for that one. He opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it. He knew there was something bothering her, and he actually wanted to know what it was, but he did not feel like getting a lashing over it, so he just stayed silent.

The two sat there, completely silent. Wind whipped by them as the sun set and night began to fall. Shifting, Zuko tried to find something to do, but he had not thought of bringing anything to entertain himself, so he merely snapped his finger, lighting a flame then snuffing it out. That was stopped, however, after Toph emitted a noise halfway between a grumble and a growl.

Eventually, as they sat there, the harrowing silence got to him. There was no way he was going to ride all the way to Goaling like this, he was just going to have to man up and get it over with. He cleared his throat, trying to get her attention.

"So, uhhh, Toph. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a question for me." Toph continued to stare out into space.

"Whatever Sparks." She said.

"Well, tell me, what's bothering you?" He asked. Toph turned, staring where she believed he was with a fiery gaze, though it was a bit too his right.

"Why does everyone think that there's something bothering me? Just because I'm not as giddy as the rest of you yahoos doesn't mean that there's something wrong with me. Maybe I'm just sick and tired of putting up with you guys, falling over each other like a bunch of drunks." She said, irritated. Zuko rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey you said I could ask you a question, so don't get all angry at me. I know that you put on the tough girl act and all, but there's times when you need to get real with someone. Like my Uncle told me there's nothing wrong with letting people who… uhhh… care about you help you." He said, cringing as he anticipated another disparage from Toph, but instead she paused, something about what he said resonating within. Perhaps he was more like his uncle than he thought.

He watched as she sat quietly for a few moments, her chest rising and falling with emotions. Wind rushed past, lifting her hair up and blocking her thoughtful eyes. Finally, when she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was soft and heavy, choking on emotion.

"It's just that, well, things aren't really working out for me, now that all the fighting's over." She said, surprising him. "When we were still fighting the war it was easy to push aside my problems, I could just train or beat something up, I didn't have time for silly personal problems. But now, with everything slowing down, I really have nothing else to think about." Toph brought her knees up to her chest, letting go of the saddle to hug them tight.

"I have to actually face up to my problems now, and they're not the type you can slug in the face or smash with a rock. I'm just way out of my league here and I really don't know what to do." She finished. Zuko's heart leapt in his throat as he listened, painfully reminded of the inner turmoil that he himself had ignored for so many years. It wasn't easy to deal with, but with a friend it became easier. It looked like he was going to be that friend. He came up to her, taking a seat beside her.

"I may not be my uncle but I can still try and offer some advice on silver clouds and things like such." Toph raised an eyebrow, still staring straight ahead.

"Silver clouds?" Zuko turned red.

"Ohh, ya, I forget you weren't there." He said. "What I mean is that you can tell me what's bugging you." Toph sat silently for a moment, drawing in a deep breath. Zuko hoped that it was a sign that she as going to talk with him, but then again it could just be her getting ready to laugh at him.

"Well, now that the war's over." She said, putting his fears of being laughed at to rest. "I keep thinking that I have to go back to Goaling some time, and face my parents. I know I hurt them pretty bad, but I still don't think I've forgiven them, I just don't know what to do with them." Said Toph, sending a wave of panic through Zuko. If she was not ready to forgive them when they arrived tomorrow that meant that he was probably not coming back from this trip.

Toph sighed, rubbing her knees.

"The other thing is, well, it's kinda silly." She said, turning red. Zuko lifted an eyebrow.

"Come on, it can't be that silly." He said, giving her a reassuring nudge. "I once talked to Sokka about silver cloud sandwiches." He said, drawing a laugh from his little friend.

"Well, it's not that. I kinda like someone." She said. Zuko smiled, holding back a laugh at the thought. Toph, liking someone? That was perhaps one of the strangest thoughts he had come across in a while. Where did she find a guy more masculine than her?

"Ohh, is that so? That doesn't sound like such a problem, except perhaps for him. Who is this lucky fellow?" Asked Zuko, elbowing Toph playfully. She smiled, laughing.

"Ya, he's sure lucky. I'm kinda more of a stalker than anything else. He's a real moron, but he makes me laugh and we've been friends for a while now. I don't really know, but there's something about him that just makes me... vulnerable." She said, her eyes beginning to blur over. "And when I'm around him that's okay, I really don't mind. I don't have to be the tough girl around him because…well, because he appreciates me for who I am." She finished, looking straight ahead. Zuko's smile disappeared as he stared into her face, looking at the mélange of adoration and pain. He knew who she was talking about.

"Let me guess." He said. "This guy's in a relationship right? With his boomerang and a certain Kyoshi warrior?" Toph turned beet red, made even worse by the last glinting rays of the sun.

"Ya, I like Sokka okay. If you tell anyone I'll kill you!" She said, punching him on the shoulder to cover up her embarrassment. Luckily she could not see so the blow glanced off the side of his arm, but it still sent a flare of pain to his head. He rubbed his arm, looking at his little friend.

"Don't worry Toph, you're secrets safe with me. It's not like there's anyone I could tell anyway." He said.

Toph looked deflated, her countenance downcast. She had just spilled her greatest secret to him, leaving herself totally exposed. He knew how big of a deal it was to do that, and the courage it took. He needed to find a way to reassure her.

"It's just so hard." Said Toph, anger and sadness leaping across her face. "Liking someone who likes someone else. It hurts the way he looks at her, the way he touches her fondly, the way he speaks to her. I just know that those are words he'll never say to me. Those are touches that I'll never feel." She said, sending pangs of sympathy through Zuko with every heartfelt syllable. "He protects me and takes care of me; we're best friends, but he's never realized how I feel for him, after almost two whole years! I don't think he even realizes that I'm a girl!" She said. He could not argue with that. Sokka was bright enough, but Zuko did not attribute him with an overabundance of brains when it came to girls.

"It's like a knife in the heart every time I'm with him and Suki shows up." Continued Toph, tears slowly beginning to trickle down her face as the pain coursed through her body.

"I know that I have no right to be angry with him, and I really want to wish him the best, but I still feel this way, and no matter how hard I try I can't stomp these feelings out!" She turned and spat over the side.

"I just get so angry, so upset, and the worst part about it is this stupid hope, this childish dream that someday he'll notice me, that he'll feel the same way about me that I feel for him, but I know that it won't ever happen, and so that hope turns to pain." By now the trickle of tears had turned to a waterfall.

She buried her head in her arms and began to sob, her shoulders shaking with frustration and sorrow. Zuko sat back, shocked at the violent reaction that this topic was eliciting from her. He had never seen Toph in such a state before, in fact he was pretty sure that no one had ever seen her like this. He did not know what to do, whether to embrace her or to let her cry it out on her own. What did someone do when Toph broke?

Zuko thought back to his uncle, trying to imagine what he would do in this situation. A thought struck him, a very uncomfortable thought, but one none the less. He believed at the moment that he was supposed to hug her. However, that put him in a rather vulnerable position to take a nasty shot. For a moment he stayed back, looking down at his friend's sobbing form, until finally the guilt inside of him overwhelmed him. He groaned. Why did helping people have to be so hard?

Taking in a deep breath, he prepared his privates for a bruising, leaning in and holding her tight. He brought her small frame close to his chest, laying a reassuring hand on her head and wrapping his other arm around her shaking shoulders.

Toph did not even seem to notice. She kept on crying, burying her face deeper into Zuko's chest. He just sat there, trying to cajole her as best he knew, which was pretty pathetic to say the least.

After a minute or so of such un-Toph like behavior she began to regain her composure. She leaned back, removing herself from Zuko's arms. She wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve, sniffling. Her eyes were red from tears, and her face was haggard, but she seemed a bit better.

"Sorry Sparks." She said, her nose congested. Zuko smiled gently.

"Look…" He stopped right there, having said the wrong thing. Toph gave him a weak smile.

"It's okay, I get what you mean." Zuko gave a quick prayer of thanks that she was in such a forgiving mood and continued on.

"I have to say that I really don't know how you feel. Mai and I, we were always a thing, even when we were young, she's never been with another guy and I never really felt jealous about her." He started, leaving out the incident at Ember Island.

"After I got banished I'm ashamed to say that I never really thought of her, I was just so focused on myself that I never thought of how she was feeling at the time. However, when I, you know…"

"Betrayed us?" Interjected Toph. Zuko turned bright red, ashamed.

"Ya, betrayed you. I got to go back with her, and though we had our rough times I started to really bond with her. Eventually when I made the decision to try and join you guys the only thing holding me back was Mai. I was so afraid of losing her forever that it prevented me from doing the right thing for a time. When I finally did leave it hurt so much being away from her, and when I saw her in the prison she looked so hurt that I thought my heart would break." He said, feeling guilty even thinking about the way she looked at him.

"Now, I know that it's not quite the same thing as what you're going through but I think I understand what heartache is. It's painful, and depressing, and brutal, but I think the only course through this is to hold on to that hope you're feeling, even if it does let you down." Toph shook her head.

"But I don't want it. Not ever again. I just want it gone." She said. Zuko nodded his head.

"I know it feels that way, but you can't give up. When I was with you guys the only thing keeping me going was training Aang and the hope that one day Mai would forgive me. At times it felt like it would never come true, and that was when it hurt the most. But when it finally did happen, when she forgave me and saved my life, I was so overjoyed that I could barely hold on to it." Toph raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Didn't she get captured saving you?" She asked. Zuko blushed.

"Ya, she did, but that was one of the things that made me realize that she had fully forgiven me, she had betrayed my sister and saved me. Thankfully Azula was as forgiving as she was" He said, thinking back to another event.

"My point is Toph, that yes, that hope is going to hurt you at times, but it's better than looking back years later and wondering what would have happened if you had held on just a bit longer." Toph nodded her head.

"I understand." She said, her face deep in thought. Zuko smiled, leaning in and giving her a hug. He received a punch to the gut for his trouble.

"What do you think you're doing there Sparky? I'm not some plush toy you can sit and hug every time you get mushy." Zuko leaned back, grabbing his stomach and sucking at wind. Toph was back.

* * *

Aang and Katara strolled down the streets, hand in hand. The evening had been wonderful, there were so many things to see and do that they hardly had time to catch their breath. Mai and Ty-Lee's performance was immaculate, inspiring awe and wonder in everyone who saw it. Afterwards the gang split up, going each their separate ways. Aang and Katara had watched some firebending shows, then perused some street vendors where they got some snacks to munch on. After that they had went and seen the Dying Ember, a play about a folk myth of spring and autumn. Aang had lost track afterwards of what they had done as there were so many things to occupy their attention. Eventually they had found themselves at the appointed restaurant for dessert. Luckily they had made reservations, as the place was packed. They had ordered their sweet desserts, devoured them, and had taken off again, meandering around at their pleasure.

It was beginning to get late, somewhere in the early hours of the morning. Aang and Katara were strolling down a white cobbled path, the moonlight reflecting off of it. Red and brown lanterns sat hung golden poles along the street, lighting the path and guiding their feet.

The street was almost deserted, save for them and one angry cabbage vendor, bereft of all his cabbages. The old man shook his head as Aang and Katara walked by, raising a fist at them. Aang raised an eyebrow. He was fairly certain that he had seen that man somewhere before.

Up ahead of them there was a little brook, its soft water washing over smooth stones. Running over it was a quaint little bride, the golden railing glowing in the white light of the moon.

Katara looked at Aang and started to run, leading him by the hand to the center of the bridge. They stood there, side by side, looking over the railing and into the water. He breathed in the deep crisp air, the faint smell of honey emanating from Katara's perfume. He smiled, looking over at her. The war was over, peace abounded, and he was with his love. Life was good. Katara let out a sigh.

"We did it, didn't we?" She said. Aang looked down at their reflections, seeing Katara's serene face in the rushing water.

"Ya, we did do it." He said. Katara turned to him, taking his face in her hands.

"You did it." She said softly. Aang took her hands in his own, rubbing his thumb along her soft skin.

"No, we did it, all of us." He said. "If it wasn't for the whole gang I would have never been able to defeat Ozai. If Sokka and Toph and Suki hadn't stopped the other airships who knows how much of the earth-kingdom would be charred embers. And if you and Zuko hadn't taken out Azula then we would have had to take her on as well as her army, which would have been a mess. We might have had peace, but it would have been over a destroyed land." He finished. Katara looked at him, her blue eyes glowing like sapphires in the moon's light.

"We did it." He said, repeating the phrase. Katara looked into his face, stirring up feelings deep within him. How he had lived without Katara by his side, he could not remember. He had to have her there, to let her know that he loved her, and would do anything for her. Without her he felt as if the world would stop spinning. The sun would not shine and the air would not be sweet. She was his reason for living, she was his light. Katara gazed at him, the same feelings reciprocated in her stare.

"I love you." She said softly. Aang smiled gently, leaning in close.

"I love you too." He whispered, his mouth meeting hers. Aang wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. They were engulfed in a passionate kiss, the fire from their touch coursing through their bodies. He started to feel Katara's back, his hands slowly moving down. Her soft sinuous body curved beneath his hands, making his heart rate spike. He kept reaching further down, reaching the small of her back, wanting to take her completely.

Suddenly he froze, feeling something he felt for sure was off limits. His eyes shot wide open at the same moment as Katara's. They pulled back quickly, staring at each other awkwardly. Red blushed cheeks glowed on both of them as they put nervous hands behind their heads. They stared at each other awkwardly for a second or two, unsure of what to say about the incident. Aang coughed.

"So, uhhh… you want to go grab a bite to eat?" He asked, trying to palliate his embarrassment. Katara nodded her head, her cheeks crimson.

"Ya, I could eat." The two walked back up the street, abstaining from holding hand lest it lead to another undesirable situation. Searching for a vendor they came across an old lady selling cherries.

Aang purchased two bags, giving one to Katara and keeping the other for himself. He bit into the succulent flesh, red juice dripping down his chin, but he hardly noticed the tangy flavor, he was too occupied with what had happened back on the bridge. He stole a look at Katara and determined that she was in the same predicament as he.

The two walked silently back to the palace, a cool breeze blowing, bringing with it the silence of a city going to bed. They reached the courtyard to the palace, discarding of their now empty bags in a trash can. They walked in, still having not said a word. As they entered they encountered a loud cried. Looking at each other they went in, finding Sokka yelling at the top of his lungs, Suki screaming right back at him.

"What is wrong with you?! What are you afraid of?! Nothing bad is going to happen, just man up and get over it!" That was Suki. Sokka, his face red, yelled back at her.

"I already told you what's the matter, you deaf or something?" Suki cracked her knuckles.

"Watch how you talk to me Sokka." She growled. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Or what girly? You going to come at me? I already know all your tricks and to be honest you ain't that good sweetheart." Suki tried to punch him in the face, but he blocked it, pushing her back.

"Told ya." He said, snickering. Suki spun around and hit him on the shoulder with a roundhouse kick. Sokka turned with it, coming back and slapping Suki with the back of his hand. A resounding _crack_ emanated forth after the hit, stunning Suki and provoking Katara.

"Sokka, what in the world do you think you're doing!?" Yelled Katara, stalking over to her brother before Aang could stop her. Sokka turned, obviously not in the mood to put up with Katara's nosiness.

"What are you doing here Katara?" Sokka asked, perturbed.

"Apparently I'm watching you abuse Suki." Replied Katara, getting up in her brother's face. Sokka cracked his neck.

"You are so bias Katara, I'm assuming that you saw her hit me first and still you think that I'm the one causing trouble here." Katara breathed out through her nose.

"You are intolerable Sokka, you should never hit Suki!" Said Katara. Suki stepped up, pushing Sokka over and getting in Katara's face.

"Back off Katara, I don't need you to protect me, I can handle Sokka by myself." Katara looked like she was going to scream.

"I was just trying to help you Suki!" She said. Suki brushed away a strand of hair, a red mark developing on her cheek.

"Like I said I don't need your help snow-peasant." Katara's eye twitched.

"Beat it Katara." Said Sokka, brushing himself off as he came back over. "This isn't any of your business." Katara reached down, forgetting that she did not have her water skin. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Really huh, you want to dance missy?" Said Sokka, putting his face inches from hers. Aang cringed as Katara cracked her knuckles.

"I don't need bending to kick your sorry butt." She said, poking Sokka in the chest. Aang sat stunned off to the side, befuddled by how quickly the argument had escalated. He was about to step in and do something before it ended in blows, but a sharp voice barked out from across the courtyard.

"Hey! You two! Back off!" Everyone jumped at the sound of Jack's deep base tones. They whirled around to see Jack marching across the courtyard, directly at them. Sokka and Katara took a few steps back from each other, adhering to Jack's wish.

He came up to them, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I leave you guys alone for one day and you're at each-other's throats by nightfall, what's wrong with you?!" Katara dropped her head. Sokka looked down at his toes, twiddling his thumbs. Aang just sat back, figuring this was none of his business.

"Well, does anyone want to explain what happened?" Asked Jack. Katara looked away, mumbling something incoherent. Sokka moved to speak, but then closed his mouth. Aang was about to make his way inside, trying to avoid the whole situation. However, something inside of him told him that he should probably speak up. Sighing, he walked over, offering his explanation of events.

"Sokka and Suki were arguing, so Katara stepped in and started to argue with Sokka, then they were about to hit each other." He said, grimacing at how poor of an explanation it sounded coming out of his mouth. Jack pinched his nose.

"Thanks for the very avid description Aang, now will someone please tell me what you two were so fiercely debating that you were about to resort to blows?" Sokka decided to take it from here.

"Suki and I were discussing something personal when Katara stuck her big nose in it." He said, frowning at his little sister. Katara turned bright red.

"I only interjected because you hit Suki!" She said. Jack looked over at Suki, who by now had a large handprint on the side of her cheek.

"You hit Suki?" He said, turning to Sokka. Sokka held up his hands.

"Wait, wait, wait! You're not getting the whole story here. Suki hit me first, it was just self-defense." Jack scratched his head, trying to get everything straight.

"You know what, I don't want to deal with this right now. Everyone, separate, get some room, we'll talk about this later when everyone is more calm and my head doesn't hurt so much." Katara stuck her tongue out at Sokka, stalking off to the palace. Sokka, in turn, shook an angry fist at his little sister, marching off to the garden, but not before he gave Jack the death glare. Suki sat fuming for a few moments then turned and followed after Sokka, calling out his name. Jack breathed out a sigh.

"Man, it's just one of those days isn't it?" He said, shaking his head. He turned to Aang, a weary smile on his face.

"So, how'd the evening go, aside from that little fiasco there?" Aang scratched the back of his head.

"Uhhh, it went well, you know, it was pretty nice, about as good as it gets." He said, hoping that he did not sound suspicious. Jack raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"It well hmm? Why does it feel like you're not telling me something?" Aang started to turn red, shifting nervously on his feet.

"Nope, nothing, nothing at all. That's the whole truth of it" He said, turning to go inside. Jack smiled gently and started walking away towards the gate.

"Come on kid!" He called, making Aang hang his head. He was sure in for it!

* * *

Sokka marched down the smooth stone paths that snaked through the garden. He hid behind bushes of gold and weaved between trees of silver, trying to avoid Suki. He could hear her stalking him, her footfalls silent but her breathing distinct. He continued weaving about, trying to shake his tail. He was in no mood to speak with her.

Eventually, after several close encounters, he reached the cherry tree where he had cringed from Toph, begging silently to be spared. He looked around for Suki, satisfied that she was nowhere to be seen. He let out a sigh, letting himself slump down the smooth brown bark of the cherry tree, coming to rest at the base of the tree. He laid his head back in a crook of the bark, closing his eyes. What had gone wrong?

The whole evening had been spectacular, almost transcendent. Suki and he had gotten along so well. They laughed and gawked at all the sights they saw, enjoying each-other's company just like they used too. They ate food together, made funny faces at each other, and marveled at all the sights that there were to behold. It had all been going splendidly, that is, until they reached the palace.

Suki had asked him, her head laid ever so gently on his shoulder, her arm tucked amorously beneath his. The air was tingling and she was daring, but he had said no. That had drawn a disappointed sigh from Suki, who then asked why. He told her he'd rather not talk about it, bringing about Suki's inquisitive prodding, which only further served to stir up his ire. Eventually their quiet evening had erupted into a cacophony of angry voices and blows, leaving both parties frustrated and ticked off.

Sokka breathed out, trying to calm himself down. He let the cool night air rush over him, settling his frayed nerves. What was he doing wrong in this relationship? During the war they had been so good together, it just seemed like everything they did brought them closer. They just fit!

But now. He shook his head. Now everything was a problem. The way she dressed, what he ate, how she looked at him, why he had done one thing instead of another. They could not agree on anything and it was driving him mad! He was beginning to wonder if the relationship was even worth it.

He sighed, covering his face with his hands.

"Hello Sokka." Sokka jumped out of his skin at the sinister voice. He whirled around, seeing Suki leaning languidly against the tree.

"Trying to hide are we?" She asked, looking at her nails. Sokka sat back down, slouching.

"What do you want?" He said tacitly, putting his arms on his knees. Suki came over to him, sitting down next to him.

"Look, I know that the evening hasn't been ending well, but I really did have a good time tonight." She said. "I just wanted to say sorry, I know that you're uncomfortable on the subject, and I shouldn't have pressed it." She said, staring at his face. Sokka stuck out his lip.

"Ya, you shouldn't have." He said, pouting. Suki smiled.

"Ohh, come on baby, it wasn't that bad was it? The only reason it escalated so much was because your sister stepped in." She said.

"You hit me before she stepped in." Reminded Sokka. Suki shrugged her shoulders.

"You hit men back, so we're even." She said, displaying the welt on her cheek from where Sokka had struck her. He grimaced.

"I'm sorry Suki, I lost my temper." He said, reaching out a hand and brushing it against her skin. She pursed her lips.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt… too much." She added slyly. Sokka smiled, leaning over and kissing her cheek tenderly.

"Really though, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just lost my temper, that's all." He said, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a reassuring shake. Her firm, sturdy body relaxed in his arms. She leaned on his chest, laying her head against his sturdy body, taking comfort in its warmth.

"It's okay baby." She said, using her pet name for Sokka. "Couples fight at times." Sokka held her tight.

"Ya, but they should never resort to blows, I feel like a moron now." He said, holding her tight. She smiled mischievously.

"Like I said, it's okay baby." She whispered, leaning in close to Sokka's face. Her sweet breath fell over him, drawing him in. He started to fall forward, grabbing her with both his arms. He embraced her in a passionate kiss, her tantalizing lips pressed against his own.

Sokka held her tight, drawing her in more and more. Suki held him at first, then let her hands begin to roam. She rubbed his back, eventually making her way down to his belt. The sound of it clicking out of place snapped him out of his amorous trance. He pushed her away, standing up.

"I can't believe you!" He cried, irate. Suki groaned, not even trying to defend herself.

"Really Sokka? I could name a million and one guys right now who would still be lying down with me." She said, letting one of her shoulder straps fall down. Sokka tried not to look.

"Well guess what, I'm not one of them!" He said, pacing back and forth. "I mean, how many times do we have to go through this same ol' song and dance huh? When will you realize that no means nooooo!" Suki ignored his rant, letting another shoulder strap fall down.

"Come on baby, I'm an elite warrior trained in the arts of determination and slyness, I don't know the meaning of the word failure." She said, a seductive smile on her lips. Sokka shook his head.

"Well then, Look it up. You should be quite familiar with the term by now." He said. Suki stood up, letting her dress fall to the ground.

"Excuse me, what are you insinuating there?!" She demanded, her milky white skin exposed to his sight, clad in nothing save green undergarments. He sat stunned for a moment, so enamored by her sweet, smooth skin. It beckoned to him, demanding that he take her in a passionate embrace and succumb to his inner urges, but he resisted. He held up a hand, blocking everything but her head. Suki rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying." Said Sokka, trying to keep his mind focused in the discussion and not her body. "That you haven't succeeded yet in seducing me, and let's just say you aren't exactly the best warrior around. I mean, you were captured by Azula, on the first go around, and I faced her plenty of times and never got captured." He said, a smirk on his face. Suki's face turned red, burning with anger.

"Ohoh now, look out! Mr. Boomerang is a mighty warrior all of a sudden because his friends didn't let him get captured." She said, waving her hands mockingly.

"Hey!" Cried Sokka, his manly ego and boomerang insulted. "I did plenty of my own fighting thank you very much. Besides, I'm the plan guy, we wouldn't be standing where we are if it wasn't for my brilliant schemes!" He said, raising an invigorated finger into the air to reinforce his point. Suki rolled her eyes.

"Ya, we certainly wouldn't be standing here, we'd probably be rolling around by now." She said, making him turn red, half from embarrassment and half from choler.

"Look Suki, I've had enough with your innuendos and provocative statements, the answer is no!" He said, throwing both hands in the air. Suki put her hands on her silky white hips; tantalizing.

"You know your answer was different when we were still fighting the war." She said. Sokka rolled his eyes as she once again brought up the tent incident.

"Suki…" He started, but she cut him off.

"We were going to do it!" She said. "Until Zuko walked in and ruined everything. Why is it so different now? There's no chance of us getting caught, your daddy isn't anywhere around, besides, if we do we can just tell him to screw off!" Suki looked at Sokka with irritation, her brow smoldering with annoyance. Sokka put his face in his hands, wiping them down in a slow exaggerated motion.

"I told you." He said, starting off slow. "I made a mistake okay, I shouldn't have misled you like that. I had a moment of weakness, and gave in. Now." He said, throwing his hands up. "Now I know better, and it's not going to happen again. It was a good thing Zuko walked in, he saved me!" Suki rolled her eyes.

"Saved you from what wussy boy? Having a good time? You afraid I won't like what I see?" Sokka turned around, his face bright red.

"I've had enough of this conversation." He said, making his way towards the palace. Suki shouted after him.

"At least say it!" She called. Sokka stopped in his tracks, perplexed by the challenge.

"Say what?" He replied, calling back over his shoulder. Suki walked up to him, her slender hands running softly across his shoulders, sending a shudder through his body.

"Say what you won't do with me." She said softly, her lips tickling his ear. Sokka's mouth dried up as he thought of the words, his tongue failing him. He tried to speak, but nerves got the better of him. He swallowed and tried again, barely managing to squeak out an answer.

"I won't sleep with you." He said. Suki laughed sharply in his ear.

"My goodness Sokka you can't even say the word can you?" She said, laughing. Sokka turned around, embarrassed.

"I can say it." He said, trying not to notice her almost naked body. She looked up at him, cruel amusement shining brightly in her face.

"No you can't." She replied. "You just can't say sex can you?" Sokka turned beet red, eliciting another wave of laughter from Suki. She grabbed her stomach, trying to calm herself down at the sight of Sokka standing awkwardly before her, unable to perform her simple task.

"Does the word really bother you that much?" She asked, mirth still in her eyes. Sokka nodded his head.

"Ya, it kinda does." He said, scratching the back of his head. Suki came up to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Take me now Sokka of the southern water-tribe and have sex with me!" She cried with an exaggerated gesture. Sokka jumped back out of her grasp, making her laugh again.

"No, and stop saying that, you're making me uncomfortable!" He said, shaking himself. Suki smiled, a tear sliding down her face.

"Whatever wussy boy. You go ahead then and have a sexless night, someday you'll realize what you're missing." She finished, grabbing her dress and walking off towards the palace. Sokka stayed in the garden, infuriated and annoyed.

"I can say sex." He mumbled, sitting down against the tree, letting his frustration course through him. He could say it, he just couldn't do it.

* * *

Aang and Jack walked through a lush park, golden leaves carpeting the floor beneath their feet. Red flowers in dying bloom sat languidly on their branches, enjoying their last moments before the frost of winter brought their end. A noisy brook ran through the center of the park, giving life to a slender tree with smooth grey bark, its branches bare of anything save for a single white flower, its petals gleaming like pure silk. Small nighttime creatures prowled about, chirping and bellowing with their natural noise, bounding about in the muddy banks by the water.

A simple stone bench sat along a gravel path, a few carvings sitting on its side. Jack strode over to it, sitting down and throwing his hands behind his head, relaxing with a heavy sigh. Aang followed him, sitting down in front of him in the grass, spreading out his legs and leaning back on his hands, breathing in the cooling night air. It was peaceful, serene, a calming night out with a friend. It was ohh so a set up.

Aang knew he was in trouble for something, probably the kiss on the bridge. He did not know how exactly Jack knew, but he knew. That man had an uncanny sense for when he got into trouble or did something wrong. Maybe he wore it on his face.

Jack looked at Aang, amusement in his eyes.

"So, want to tell me straight up what's bothering you or should I poke around a bit, try to figure it out?" Said Jack, no doubting hoping for the second option. Aang bit his lip, mulling it over for a second or two. He should just tell him straight out, he was going to figure it out anyways, he had a nasty knack for doing that, but maybe he could get away with bouncing around the issue. He looked up at Jack's determined face, his sharp eyes and inquisitive stare. There was no chance he was hiding anything from him. He sighed.

"The evening was going fine until Katara and I went to this bridge. It was really nice and romantic, and we kinda kissed, and then it got awkward." Said Aang, demonstrating his talent for being as ambiguous as possible. Jack smiled gently.

"How much of a kiss are we talking about here hmm? Was it like a quick I love you peck? Or more like a, I want you desperately smother?" Aang turned red.

""I want you desperately smother." He mumbled. Jack withheld a laugh.

"Let me guess, you went roving around didn't you?" Aang turned his head away, his face glowing.

"Kinda." He said. Jack sat silently for a moment, no doubt in thought.

"Let me guess." Said Jack finally. "You touched her butt didn't you?" Aang stood up, turning his back to Jack.

"Ya, so what? What's it to you!?" He said, a mélange of embarrassment and anger passing through him. What business did Jack have in what he and Katara did? She was his girlfriend!

A soft hand grabbed his shoulder, gently pulling on him to turn around.

"Aang, look at me bud." Aang turned slowly, tears dripping down his face. He looked at Jack, that big burly form, those soft blue eyes. He knew that Jack was just teasing him and that he really cared for him, but he was just so embarrassed! He felt like a fool, an embarrassed fool. Jack brought him into a big hug, letting Aang sob on his shoulder.

"It's okay kid." He said, patting him on the back. Aang sniffled, pulling out of the hug and wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve.

"It's just, I feel so disgusted with myself! I mean, what was I doing? Grabbing her butt?! It totally shocked her, and I could tell she was embarrassed that I had done it." He said, sitting back down on the grass, putting his head in his hands.

"What type of sicko am I?" He asked, hating himself for his actions. Jack came over and sat next to him, wrapping a comforting arm around his small shoulders.

"Look Aang, I know that you think it's weird being attracted to a girl like that, but let me tell you, it's perfectly natural." Aang looked up, not totally convinced. It was pretty weird the way he had wanted Katara at that moment.

"For generations guys have been looking at girls and girls have been looking at guys. It's the way the Creator made us, we like each other physically, and there's nothing wrong with that. We just can't let that attraction become lust, that's when everything goes downhill, believe me, I've had a few friends." Said Jack, memories playing at the edge of his vision. "Well, to be specific, I had a friend."

Aang stared at him steadily, listening closely to every word.

"There is nothing wrong with thinking that Katara is pretty, because she is." Said Jack. Aang narrowed his eyes at him, making Jack laugh. He threw up his hands.

"Don't worry kid, I'm not trying to poach your girl, I'm just saying that she is really good looking." Aang was not convinced that Katara was safe, he would have to watch Jack more closely in the future. Jack continued on, knowing he had not convinced Aang.

"Like I was saying though, as a guy, you're going to be attracted to her with a severe flame. If you don't watch it that flame will spread and pretty soon you'll get burnt." He gave him a playful tap on the chest. "You know what it's like getting burnt." Aang nodded his head. It wasn't a fun feeling.

"I think that if you want to kiss her that's okay. You can hug her, kiss her, miss her, that don't matter. What does matter is that you don't…. well, that you don't, you know." Aang raised a perplexed eyebrow, making Jack turn beet red.

"You can't have sex with her Aang." Said Jack, looking at him intently. Aang held his countenance, still confused. Jack smacked himself on the forehead.

"Ohh geesh, we're getting into the birds and the bees. Didn't the monks ever go over it with you?" Asked Jack. Aang shook his head. He did not have a clue what birds and bees had to do with Katara, or why the monks would talk about flying creatures when discussing girls. Did girls know how to fly?

"Well, since you don't know what sex is, let's just go with that's how babies show up, you understand that right?" Aang nodded his head, not having really thought about it before. Jack continued on.

"What this entails is a certain physical proximity that requires a bit of exposure." He said, staring at Aang's unmoved features. Aang could tell he was insinuating something here, but he still did not quite get it. Jack raised his eyebrows, staring at him, pleading with him to get what he was implying.

Aang looked at Jack, then over at the tree, then back at Jack. He thought about the kiss on the bridge, the way that he was feeling, and the way that he was reacting. Then it hit him.

He jumped back, shocked and extremely confused. Was it true, was that really what had to happen for that?! Aang shook his head, terrified; what was he doing?!

"What, why…what are you talking about?!" Said Aang, trying not to run away from this situation entirely. Jack rubbed his eyes, trying to contain his own discomfort.

"Look, Aang, I'm as uncomfortable with this as you are. Believe me, the last thing I expected to do today was to lecture you on the ways of sex." Said Jack.

"It's just important that now that you have a relationship with Katara that you know how to go about it. When the time arrives and you finally get married the whole sex thing will work itself out, don't worry about it." said Jack, trying to assure Aang's worried complexion.

"But for now you need to avoid it at all costs. It's wrong and extremely detrimental to your relationship." Aang was still confused but he thought that he got the general gist of it. Sex before marriage bad, after marriage okay…maybe. He nodded his head slowly, hoping that it would make the conversation end sooner.

"So, all I have to do is refrain from doing that one thing with her?" He said, the words extremely uncomfortable on his tongue. Jack nodded.

"It won't be as easy as you think. I'm pretty sure you received quite a jolt tonight when you held her like that." Aang shook his head, remembering the tingling sensation that had ran through his whole body.

"Times like that are going to come up, and it's going to make it hard, but as long as you resist and keep yourself pure, in thought and deed, you'll be alright." Aang nodded his head again, actually feeling a bit assured by this conversation. He still however did not like it and he was very appreciative when Jack arose and suggested that they go back towards the palace.

Sleep bombarded Aang as he walked through the doors, his eyes drooping with weariness. Jack walked with him to his room, wishing him goodnight. Aang stopped him for a second.

"Jack, where were you today?" He asked, yawning. Jack gave him a smile, the smile that, if he knew it, meant that he was lying to him.

"Just out and about in the markets, I just wanted some time to myself I guess, you know, trying to still put the pieces together." Aang nodded his head, completely understanding. If he had amnesia he would probably want to figure out what his past was as well. He wished him goodnight, entering his room and stripping of his garments. He crawled under his silk sheets, warmth and security spreading over him as he drifted off. Finally sleep overcame him, Katara entering his dreams, and she was still wearing clothes. Perhaps the night had ended well after all.


	3. Homecomings

**Chapter III**

Zuko awoke with a start, his heart throbbing in his throat. He had had a nightmare of being buried alive, the earth crashing in around him. It had felt so real.

He looked over at Toph, who still slept soundly underneath his coat. It had gotten cold last night, so he had given it to her, after she had fallen asleep of course.

He blinked his eyes, looking at the rising sun. He had fallen asleep, that was not supposed to happen. He looked around, noticing that they were on the ground; Appa must have decided that it if everyone else was asleep then he could be too. He rubbed his eyes, looking at the trees around them. Their glossy red leaves rustled slightly in the breeze, their smooth brown trunks lines up in neat, organized, lines. Cherries hung heavily on the branches, ripe and ready to be picked. Appa must have landed in a town.

Zuko moved to the edge of the saddle, looking about at the smooth stone path. Not just any town, Gaoling. He swallowed hard. He had only been here once before in his travels, long ago when he was still hunting the avatar. The place seemed just about the same as it had back then, suspended away from the travails of the war, protected in a shell of mountains that deflected any harm. He looked down at Appa's slumbering face.

How had he known where he wanted to go? He wondered, giving the big beast a friendly pat on the head. A resounding growl indicated that Appa was pleased with the pat, though it had emanated from his sleep.

"Good job." He mumbled, hopping down off of the slumbering beast. He walked along the stone wall, resting only a few paces from the road. Coming around the corner, he was shocked to see the front gate, with its flying boar seal suspended above in silver metal. They were at Toph's house.

The full weight of what he was trying to pull fell down on him. "Crap." He muttered, running his hand through his hair. Well, guess there was no turning back.

He made his way back over to Appa, grabbing handfuls of cherries and popping them in, chewing on their succulent flesh.

Azula did not like cherry pits. He thought as he ate around them, spitting them out with a slight grin of pleasure. He found them amusing, probably just because he used to order his cherries with their pits still in them, thus forcing Azula either to get her own or eat around the pits which he knew she hated. Zuko smiled to himself, it seemed that Azula was not the only one who could cause trouble.

He walked back to Appa, climbing up with the cherries he had picked. Once up there he sat for a while, eating and spitting, picking more cherries off of the high branches nearest Appa. Soon his mouth was bright red from their succulent juice, his fingers sticky and grimy. He pulled out a canteen of water, drinking some them using some of it to wash off his hands. He looked over at Toph, who was still sleeping. She had been quite exhausted after sobbing in his arms, being emotionally drained, it was probably a new experience for her. He just hoped that she felt better today, that way he had a better chance of surviving.

After a while longer of munching and chewing on his cherries, Zuko that it was time to face his fears and rouse her. He walked over to her, grabbing her shoulder and shaking it in a manner he thought was gentle. All he got back was loud snore. He figured he would have to do a bit more to wake the girl up. He shook her gruffly, calling her name. Still she persisted in sleep.

Zuko frowned; this girl would wake up at the slightest vibration that meant trouble but when it came to a morning's excursion she was as solid as the earth she bent. He went over and grabbed the canteen, having sense enough to pull off his jacket before dosing her in the face. The reaction was immediate.

Toph sat up abruptly, throwing her arms about and howling. She swung her fists at imaginary enemies, daring them to come on. When she heard Zuko's laughter she calmed down a bit, realizing what had happened.

She began wiping the water off of her face, frowning. "Very funny Sparky." She said. Zuko calmed himself, trying to remember the image on Toph's face.

"Sleep well?" He asked. Toph shook out her hair.

"Ya, until some wise guy decided to dump water on me." She said. Zuko went over to her, sitting next to her.

"Sorry, but I couldn't get you up." He said, placing a few cherries in her hand. Toph rolled one between her fingers real quick, snapped off the stem, and popped it in her mouth, crunching on it, pit and all.

"Uhhh, Toph, you're supposed to spit out the pit." Said Zuko. Toph just laughed at him.

"Ya, that's what my Mom used to tell me, but it sure didn't stop me then, so it ain't now." She replied, popping two more in. Zuko winced at the sound of the pits being crushed between her molars. Toph smacked her lips together, finishing of her cherries.

"Say, those are really good, got anymore?" She asked. Zuko handed her the remainder of his supplies, cherry trees only a foot or so away.

"So." Said Toph around a mouthful of cherries and pits. "When are we going to get there?" Zuko's throat dried. He tried to say something but the words didn't come out, just a squeak. Toph laughed.

"What's the matter, got a cherry pit stuck in your throat?" She asked, smacking him on the shoulder blade; she was probably aiming for his back. Zuko cleared his throat.

"No, it's just a bit dry." He said, taking a swig from the canteen. He cleared his throat, turning back to see red juice dripping down Toph's chin, bright red fingers popping in more cherries.

"We're actually here." Said Zuko, trying to not imagine the cherry juice as his own blood. Toph stood up stretching.

"Really? Well then let's get a move on. Personally I could stand for some more cherries, they're just like the ones we had back…" Her words cut off as she landed on the ground, the familiar earth echoing out to her where she was. Zuko landed beside her, waiting to see her reaction. She sat stunned for a moment, her brows wrinkled with confusion. She opened her mouth, taking a second to think of what to say, but all that came out was.

"Home?" Zuko swallowed. This was the moment of truth, if he could not sell Toph here he was done for. He'd probably be in a six foot ditch within the hour, still alive.

"Ya, home. Jack thought that it would be best if you made things right with your parents." Said Zuko, remembering what Jack had told him as well as the time Toph had spoken to him on the subject, though admittedly Zuko was not paying all that close attention. He had hoped that by using Jack's name he could keep her calm, but unfortunately it did not quite work out like that. Instead of keeping her calm it more or less made her cheeks burst into flames as her knuckles creaked in tight little fists.

"You brought me home?" Said Toph, grinding her teeth. Zuko took a step back.

"Yes, yes I did." He said, getting ready for an attack. Toph turned to him, irate.

"Are you nuts!? What in the world were you thinking?! You think I ever want to come back here? I ran away for goodness sake's! My parents are a bunch of nosey, pompous, pretentious, arrogant, know it all's who were constantly in my business, just like you are apparently." She said, poking Zuko in the chest. "Our little fieldtrip, is over. You are going to take me back to the palace and that's the end of that." She said, marching back over to Appa. Zuko held his ground.

"No." He said. Toph stopped, about ready to get back on Appa.

"What did you say sparky?" Zuko tried to remind himself that he was the older one here, but with Toph's incredible bending abilities it was rather easy to forget that she was only fourteen.

"I said no. This is supposed to be a life changing fieldtrip, what can be more life changing than making things rights with your parents?" He said.

"Ya, it sure will be life changing, from freedom to prison." Said Toph. Zuko gritted his teeth.

"Listen, I'll probably never have this opportunity for myself, my father is a crazed mad man and my mother is more than likely dead, I can't rectify things, but you can. Sure they smothered you, but it was out of love."

"For themselves, not me. I was their little dress up doll, something for them to play with. My father had wanted a son, but because I was born a daughter and blind he gave up. Somehow, to him, it was my fault that I wasn't a boy" She said. Zuko stood his ground.

"We are going to go up to that front gate, and we're going to talk to your parents. You're going to set things right, and then we'll leave, not before." He said, readying himself. Toph stepped towards him.

"You certain about that Sparky?" She asked. Zuko breathed out slowly. He was the older one. He was in charge.

"Yes, I am." He said, holding himself erect. Toph nodded her head, as if respecting his audacity. For a moment Zuko thought he had managed to avert danger, but then Toph moved.

She stepped with a rigid motion, shooting three earthen pillars at him. Leaping to the side, he dodged the pillars, putting together a two punch move that sent fireballs flying in Toph's direction. Pulling the ground up, Toph made a wall and blocked his move, punching the wall afterwards and sending it hurtling towards him. Breathing in, he leapt into the air, performing a spinning kick and shooting out an arc of flame that shattered the earthen wall. He landed on his feet, arms raised and ready.

"We don't have to fight Toph!" He yelled. Toph laughed.

"You're just saying that because you know I'm going to win!" She yelled back, punching the ground and sending a title wave of earth at him. He took two steps towards the oncoming wave, launching himself into the air with a last of fire, throwing himself over the wave. Twisting his torso, he managed to whip his back legs around, shooting a column of flame over at Toph.

Kicking the ground, she made a shield launch up, spinning it in order to block the coming column of fire. After the attack faltered she spun and launched it, sending it spinning at his head. Sliding on his knees, he barely managed to avoid it, a wisp of his hair slicing off as the chunk of earth hurdled past him.

"Hey!" He yelled, rolling back onto his feet. "You could have killed me!" Toph snickered.

"That's the idea sparky!" Zuko gritted his teeth, anger coursing through his veins. Fine, if she wanted to play rough, he'd play rough.

Taking a hard step to the left, he pushed himself right, avoiding the rising pillar of earth aimed at him. As he flew through the air he jabbed two stiff fingers forward, shards of fire shooting forward and coming at Toph.

Acting quick, Toph rolled, creating another wall to block the shards as they pelted against the stone, cracking it. Once his barrage was done she punched the wall, sending it flying right in his path.

Eyes wide with fear, Zuko sliced from top to bottom, creating an arc of fire that cut through the massive boulder, sending it in two halves behind him where it crashed into the wall, pulverizing it and reducing it to rubble.

The two took a second to breath, sweat dripping down their brows. Animosity glowed in Toph's eyes, their milky green demeanor transmitting a wave of rage. Zuko blinked, really hoping that his plan would work, and soon.

Without a word Toph came at him, shooting out pillars from the earth. Zuko made a run for her, trying to dodge the pillars that erupted out of the earth on either side of him. Just ten feet away from her one shot out and hit him in the side, sending him flying through the air. He crashed into a massive hunk of fur, which grumbled at him. Zuko stood up, brushing himself off.

"Sorry Appa." He mumbled. The shaggy bison growled something at him, returning to his nap. He looked over at Toph, who was waiting for him to move away from Appa, she did not want collateral damage.

Zuko took two steps forward, launched himself off of one of Toph's pillars, and brought two flaming whips down at Toph. She created an earth barrier between herself on the whips but they cracked through it, sending debris everywhere. She stumbled back, a bit dazed. Zuko pressed his advantage, launching a barrage of orange flames at her, the thought of accidently hurting her out of his mind. Toph sensed them coming and dove down, disappearing into the earth. Zuko stood tense, waiting for her to reemerge.

His heart palpitated inside his chest, pounding against his ribcage. His breath was hard, salty drops of sweat dripping into his eye. He blinked, wiping his forehead. He was a bit out of shape, now that the war was over. He would have to start a workout routine of sorts when he got back; if he got back. He looked around him, wishing for all the world that he was up in a tree, or somewhere where Toph could not just reach up a ghastly hand and suck him down to the underworld. He breathed deep, the air silent.

A ripple in the earth beneath his feet made him jump back, just in time to avoid a massive pillar of earth that shot straight into the air. Toph stood on top of it, smug as ever.

Zuko breathed through his nose and launched a massive fireball at the base of the pillar. It made contact with a thunderous crack, splitting the bottom of the pillar, sending it plummeting towards the ground. His heart leapt as he realized that Toph was falling off of it. He rushed forward, ready to catch her, but there was no need to. An earthen ramp came up out of the ground, catching Toph and depositing her safely on the ground. She cracked her neck, turning towards Zuko, who had taken up a defensive stance.

"You could have hurt me Sparky." She said. Zuko smirked.

"Me, hurt you? I don't think so." He said. She grinned at him.

"Want to end this princess?"

"Let's." The two charged each other, howling out with rage. A solid glove of earth cracked around Toph's fingers; an irrevocably orange flame sprung to life in Zuko's hand. They rushed each other, fists raised. Someone was going to the hospital.

"Toph, is that you?" The two figures tried to stop, turning towards the source of the disturbance. They crashed into each other, falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and curses. They shoved at each other, trying to separate.

"It is you Toph!" Cried the voice, running up to them. An ornate lady came to her, grabbing her as she lay on the ground, covered in dirt and sweat. Tears leapt into the figures eyes, holding her tight.

"I thought that you would never come back!" She said, weeping. Zuko stood up, brushing himself off. He looked at what could only be Mrs. Bei Fong, dressed in an intricate green and white dress, jewels dangling about her body, hair done up in the latest fashion from Ba Sin Sey. Yup, there was no doubt about it, this was Toph's mother.

Toph struggled, trying to get out of her mother's iron grip. Her mother pulled back, smiling at her daughter with teary eyes.

"Ohh my goodness, look at you! You've grown so much! You're turning into quite the fine little lady." She said, an eyebrow lifting as she looked at Toph's regalia. Toph wanted to mention the fact that she was not aspiring to be a fine young lady, but her mother cut off her objection.

"My, my, what a ghastly outfit child! Don't worry though, I can have you all fixed up in something nice, we'll get rid of those wretched clothes, and we'll give you a bath, whatever you've been doing you must not have had much time to keep up on good hygiene." She said, wrinkling her nose. "Never mind that, I'll take care of it." Toph stood up, brushing herself off.

"Mom, I'm not here to stay." She said. A disappointed look came over her mother's face, all her plans of dignifying her child snatched from her with that one simple phrase.

"You're not? But, I thought that you had finally come home?" She said. Zuko stood back, watching as Toph shook her head.

"No mum, I've got some important things to look after, now that the war's all said and done. I'm still working with the avatar and all, we've got to patch things up now. The only reason I'm here is because my friend here." She said this while jabbing an accusing finger at him. "Insisted that I show him where I had grew up, we were passing through and all, so I wanted to give him a quick look." Her mother turned to him. He offered his best smile, which wasn't all that great.

"Hello Mrs. Bei Fong, how are you?" He asked, trying to be cordial. She gave him a curt nod, obviously disgusted. His hair lay in a shaggy nature atop his head. Perspiration licked at his brow and dripped down his cheek. His clothes were dirty and torn from his brief altercation with Toph. All in all, he did not look like the type of dignified man that her daughter should be spending time with.

"Who is this Toph?" She whispered, thinking herself quiet. Zuko cleared his throat.

"I'm Fire-Lord Zuko, the new ruler of the fire-nation." He said. Mrs. Bei Fong's face lit up.

"The new Fire-Lord? The one we've heard so many good things about?" She said, turning back to Toph. Zuko lifted and eyebrow. Apparently he had made an impression on the regal circles in the earth kingdom.

"Deary why didn't you tell me you were with the Fire-Lord? You should have sent a message ahead, I would have had something prepared." Toph turned red, anger burning her cheeks.

"Sorry mum, it didn't really cross my mind. Probably because we weren't planning on coming by" She said, wanting to reiterate the fact that they were not going to stay. Mrs. Bei Fong waved her hand, making her way through the debris and back towards the house, a massive hole in the wall allowing her access.

"Come, come. I'll have something made up for you two, then you'll have to stay for dinner." She said, ignoring Toph's pleas that they had to go. Zuko walked up by Toph.

"I don't see why we can't stay for dinner." He said. Mrs. Bei Fong turned to him, a radiant smile on her face, going off on all the preparations that needed to be made and how it was so awful that she had not known sooner that her daughter was going to come with the Fire-Lord.

Toph did not say a word, she just punched him, knocking him over as she stalked off towards the house. Rocks began to zing around as she kicked them, sending them flying like arrows from the string. Zuko got up, dusting himself off and following them inside; this was going to be a hard sell.

* * *

Aang awoke, tangled in his sheets, another fearsome nightmare playing at the edge of his mind. He shook them off, sweat dripping down his forehead. His heart pounded in his chest as the nightmare slowly receded. He could feel his chest tingle from where the blade had entered, carving into his flesh. His hand gripped the edge of the bed, steading himself as he drew in deep breaths. Eventually the terror ceased, and he was able to focus once more. He got out of bed, throwing on some simple garments from his desk, the one piece of furniture that he had managed not to brake within the past two weeks.

Aang left his room, surprised that Momo was not waiting at the door for him. He walked down the empty halls, wondering what time it was. Sunlight peaked through the windows, partly obscured by a gloomy sky. Leaves scattered about on the wind, bringing with it the smell of rain. There was going to be a thunder storm later on.

He walked down the hall, following the whims of his stomach and making his way towards the dining hall. He opened the doors himself, the guards receiving the day off, direct orders from the fire-lord, or, replacement fire-lord, as Iroh was in charge at the moment while Zuko was gallivanting about. He went in, looking down the long table.

A solo figure sat alone at the end, hunched over a plate of food. Sokka sat in his normal attire, minus the hand-wrap. He poked at his meat, a countenance on his face worthy of matching the weather's dull look. He sighed, looking up as Aang walked over.

"Hey Aang, how you doing?" He asked, setting his chopsticks down. Aang walked over to him, sitting beside him and stretching out.

"Not too bad, just a bit thrown off. What time is it exactly?" He asked, suppressing a yawn.

"It's a little past noon." Replied Sokka. Aang looked at him.

"Serious?" He asked. Sokka nodded his head, taking a sip from his glass.

"Ya, really. The clouds started rolling in about an hour ago, think we're getting a storm tonight." He said, his mind somewhere else. Aang nodded his head, deciding that he really was not that hungry.

"Have you seen Katara around?" He asked. Sokka shook his head.

"The only person I ran into today is you, besides Momo, but I'm pretty sure he's off on some bug hunt at the moment. Wish I had joined him." He said, pushing his unfinished plate away. Aang was surprised, as Sokka was not one to waste food, especially meat.

"Everything all right Sokka?" Asked Aang. Sokka laughed, sharp and caustic.

"No, not at all." He said, pushing his chair back and standing up.

"Want to talk about it?" Asked Aang. Sokka shook his head.

"No, thanks though." And with that he walked out of the room, closing the door with an ominous boom, leaving Aang alone in the dining hall. He sat alone for a while, pondering Sokka's queer behavior, associating it with his and Suki's altercation last night. Perhaps he should go check on him again, he probably could use some company. He stood up, then sat back down.

Well, Sokka might be in one of those moods where he did not want to talk to a bender. His nose itched as he remembered the last time he had approached Sokka in such a mood, winding up with a broken nose. He did not want a repeat experience, so he decided that it was probably best if he just let Sokka sort things out on his own.

Aang leaned back in his chair, sighing.

"Something bugging you kid?" Aang jumped at the voice. He turned and saw someone standing in the doorway to the kitchen, someone he did not recognize. The figure stepped forward.

"Don't worry avatar, I don't bite, much." Said the stranger, his sinister voice rippling with false civility. The man stepped forward in heavy black boots, his black pants clinging tightly to his gaunt frame.

"Well, this is a bit awkward, isn't it?" Said the man, itching his bumpy nose.

"It is." Said Aang, standing up. The man looked at him, starting at the bottom then coming to the top, running a bony hand through his slicked back blonde hair.

"Where's the arrow pointing?" Asked the stranger. Aang furled his brow.

"What?" He asked. The man laughed, slapping his knee with his pale, white arms. Scars ran across his forearms, the sign of knives and needles quite apparent.

"Just messing with you kid. I love to do that to airbenders." Aang raised an eyebrow.

"I'm the last one." He said. The man smiled, missing two of his yellowed teeth.

"Ya, well, ain't you special?" Said the man, crossing his arms. Aang's eyes widened as he noticed the two fire-nation brands, one on each shoulder, melted into his flesh. The man looked down, running a finger over one.

"Like em?" Aang swallowed, not knowing what to say.

"They're…interesting." He said. The man nodded his head, hooking his thumbs in his black belt, a buckle shaped like a rose studded with rubies clasping it together.

"They've got a whole story behind them too." Said the man. Aang blinked, shaking his head.

"Wait, who the heck are you? And why are you here?" He asked, suddenly realizing that he had no clue who this man was or what in the world he was doing in Zuko's palace.

"Ohh sorry, where are my manners? I'm Joshua." Said the man, unhooking one of his thumbs and reaching out a friendly hand.

"I'm Avatar Aang." He replied, grabbing the pale hand. It took him in a vise, iron wrapped in skin.

"I know who you are." Said Joshua, his voice dropping with a menacing growl. Aang took a step back, startled by the change in the man's demeanor.

"I've been watching you for some time now, and I have to say, I'm actually impressed." Continued Joshua, pacing around Aang.

"Well, thank you." He replied, tracking the man as he walked. Joshua shook his head, a frown crossing his face.

"Don't thank me kid. Thank your masters, they're the ones who taught you how to do all of your bending. Me, I'm just giving you my honest assessment." Aang raised an eyebrow.

"Assessment, why, are you evaluating me?" He asked, his suspicions growing. This man was too unsettling.

"I could tell you, but that would ruin the surprise." Replied Joshua, walking over to a chair and taking a seat. The man leaned back in the chair, plopping his muddy boots up on the table.

"Ask yourself this question; what does Azula deserve?" Aang blinked.

"What?" He asked, walking over and taking a seat a few chairs down. Joshua picked something out of his teeth.

"You heard me. What does Azula deserve?" Said Joshua, reiterating his question. Aang fumbled around for a few moments, trying to see where this conversation was heading.

"Well, she wasn't exactly the best person." He started. Joshua shook his head, smacking his palm across his face.

"Wasn't exactly the best person." Repeated Joshua, groaning. "Kid, do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth? Do you know what she did to prisoners?" Aang swallowed, sweat pouring out of his palms.

"Well, ya, I guess so." Joshua rolled his eyes.

"You guess so?! What is this, some kind of game!? Let me tell you straight." Said Joshua, pointing a finger at Aang. "Azula is a psychopathic nut that deserves to die in one of the most painful and slow ways imaginable."

"I don't think anyone deserves that." Replied Aang. "Everyone deserves a second chance." Joshua stood up, chuckling cynically.

"You got to be kidding! You're kidding right?" Said the man, coming over to Aang with a wild look in his eyes. "Give her to me!" Aang stepped back as the man came closer, his voice demanding and his pupils bouncing.

Aang put a hand behind his back, accumulating a ball of air. "I can't do that, it's up to Zuko. He's the one who put her there in the first place." He said.

Joshua threw up his hands, screaming towards the ceiling. "You got to be kidding! Zuzu is just as guilty as she is! He shouldn't even be ruling!"

"What do you mean?" Asked Aang. Joshua froze, turning back to Aang.

"None of your business." Replied the man, staring at him queerly.

"Zuko's my friend, it is my business." Said Aang. Joshua stroked his chin, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked over to Aang.

Joshua placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, making him twitch. "So you're saying you won't give me Azula?" Aang shook his head.

"I already told you that I can't. Even if I could what makes you think I'd hand her over to you?" Joshua licked his lips.

"Even for a favor?" Said the man. Aang blinked.

He wasn't sure that this man was all there. "You are understanding what I'm saying, right?" Joshua nodded his head.

"Alright, alright, I'll do you a favor anyways, but just because you asked so nicely." Aang gripped his ball of air a bit tighter. This guy was off his rocker!

Joshua leaned in close, pressing his mouth against Aang's ear. "How about I tell you about Jack?" Aang stepped back, the ball of air in his hand disappearing from the shock.

"Tell me about Jack? What do you know about him?" Joshua shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I know quite a bit, but I think there's a better person for you to go to." Said the man, stepping back up to Aang. "Of course, I'll tell you who."

Aang looked suspiciously at Joshua, not liking his proximity but too intrigued to pass up the opportunity. "Okay, who?" Joshua smiled, sighing dramatically.

"I'm sorry things had to end this way. I guess we'll have to go to war." Aang blinked.

"What?!" He demanded, utterly confused. How did this man travel between thoughts? A sharp prick stung the back of his neck, Joshua pulling back his hand with a sinister grin.

"Wa… What's happening?" Asked Aang, spots dancing before his eyes as his mind clouded over. Joshua smiled at him, his eyes glowing red.

"Don't worry kid, you'll wake up with a big, nasty, headache but other than that you'll be ship shape, for a while." Aang tried to throw a blast of air at Joshua, but he missed wide, sending a chair flying instead. He stumbled forward, knocking into another chair, falling to the ground, his world spinning. Joshua kneeled down next to him, his face dripping blood.

"Things are going to get a little hectic soon, and I'm sorry to say that you, and all your little friends are going to have to pay. And later, when my friend kills you, you can just sit there and thank yourself as you go on to your next life, remembering that you got all your friends murdered" Aang looked at him for a moment longer, watching as black ooze began to drip out of his eyes, then everything turned black.

* * *

Toph and Zuko sat awkwardly in her old room, Toph sitting on her large fluffy mattress, arms crossed, staring blind eyes at Zuko who sat on a stone chair by a marble table. Toph had managed to avoid both a bath and a change of clothes, but only with Zuko's aid. She did not seem very appreciative though.

She just sat there in her green, silken, sheets, staring at him with a milky green death glare. He could feel the intensity of her gaze as beads of sweat began to trickle down his neck, the silence becoming painful to bear. Eventually he stood up, striding about the small room. He walked over to the window sill, a row of dolls lines up across it. He picked a few up, all of them dressed in what was no doubt some fashionable time for the era. He shook his head; he found the idea of Toph playing with dolls just as terrifying as Azula playing with dolls.

Setting them back down, he noticed a young girl doll set off to the side, adorned similarly to that of Toph's blind bandit outfit. He reached out a hand to grab it, but a growl from Toph made him think twice. Perhaps it was best to leave some things at be.

Toph hopped down off of her fluffy seat, walking over by Zuko and shoving him out of the way. She ran her hands over the dolls, checking them. Finally, coming to the one set aside, she grabbed it, walking over and setting it on a shelf across the room from all the others. She then walked over to Zuko, who was standing by her table. She ran a rough hand across the smooth stone.

"You know, when I was first learning Earthbending, I broke my other desk. When my parents came in and saw what had happened I told them that I had been sitting on it and it had broken." Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"That had worked?" He asked. She nodded her head.

"Ya, they believed it. I got in trouble, you know, you're not supposed to sit on the furniture. They yelled at me a little, but that was about it." She snorted.

"I can't believe they were stupid enough to believe that I broke a marble desk by sitting on it. I mean, come on, what did I weigh, fifty-pounds, at the most?" Zuko was reluctant to join in on the conversation, afraid that he would set her off. Toph nodded her head, curling her fingers into a fist.

"No, a fifty-pound girl couldn't break a desk like this, but the blind bandit sure could." She said, raising her fist and bringing it crashing down on the marble desk. It shattered into a thousand pieces, debris flying everywhere. Zuko's ears rang as the thunderous clap left, dust settling on the perfectly ordered room. The sound of feet scuttling outside the door reached his bleeding ears. Mommy's coming.

Mrs. Bei Fong rushed through the door, looking around at the mess. "What in heaven's name happened child?" She asked, looking at Toph. Toph shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't rightly know mummy, I was just sitting on the desk, and it broke." She said. Mrs. Bei Fong raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think me a fool child?" Toph snorted.

"What do you think?" She replied scathingly. Zuko cringed at the animosity, noticing the pained expression on Mrs. Bei Fong's face. She opened her mouth, then shut it, apparently choking on emotion.

"Supper will be ready soon." She managed, her voice choked. Her footsteps echoed down the hall as she scuttled out of the room, leaving Toph and Zuko alone once again. Zuko looked at Toph, her shoulders slumped. He stood up, moving to speak, but Toph held out a hand.

"Hold it right there Sparky. You better think long and hard about what you're going to say, because if it don't come out right you may find yourself a more permanent fixture in this house." Zuko had no clue what the threat meant, but it was spoken so matter-o-factly that he assumed it was something nasty. He stopped and thought for a moment, praying that the words he was about to speak would not be his end.

"Toph, I know that you've been hurt by your parents. And, believe me, I know what that feels like, but you can't treat them with such contempt." He said, hoping Toph would respect his audacity. She didn't.

She whirled on him, anger burning in her eyes.

"What would you possibly know about being smothered, huh? You were an outcast, your own father disowned you. He threw you out and left you alone in the world. My parents, on the other hand, never showed me such a kindness. They kept me locked up, dressing me up and parading me around just like one of those stupid dolls!" She said, pointing over to the window sill.

"You don't know what it's like to be me, so stop pretending. Compared to me your life was a cake-walk." Zuko's hands began to shake, his ire rising. He knew that Toph was upset, but she had no right making a stab like that at him, not after all he had been through.

"Look, I don't know if you've forgotten or never knew, but for your information I have a blatant scar on the side of my face!" He shouted, taking her hand and putting it over his deformed eye.

"Now you can call it a luxury being humiliated in front of the hierarchy of your nation, you may call it a gift to be disowned, scarred, and thrown out by your own father, and you may think it fun to be sent on an impossible task in order to try and redeem yourself, but I don't! So if you think for one second that I don't know what it feels like to be abused by my parents then you're damn wrong!" He yelled.

"You better get your act together kid, because your parents aren't always going to be here, and when their gone, and you can't make things right anymore, you won't have anyone to blame but yourself." He said, stalking out of the room. The door rang as he slammed it shut, making his way off to the backyard. He needed to blow his lid before supper.

Marching through the garden, he came to the wall, the large hole on the other side of the property. He climbed over, making his way to a glen of trees. He needed somewhere secluded.

Walking through the trees, he found a bubbling brook, willows hanging over the water on either side of the bank. Smooth rocks met his feet as he jumped into the water, taking only a second to make sure that no one was around. When he was satisfied he began to pour his frustrations out on the water, throwing fireball after fireball into the hissing liquid, letting his anger fuel him once more only so it could be drained.

After exhausting himself with an unending barrage of fire he sat down in the water, panting, steam billowing up around him. Jack had told him that when he got angry he usually slipped into a tirade of profanity. Thankfully, he did not suffer from such a shortcoming, but when he became excessively angry or upset he found it easiest to just use a release valve. And for him, that release valve was trying to destroy water with his firebending, which he never succeeded at, thus allowing him to pour out his frustrations without damaging anything.

He allowed himself to relax, or at least, to the best of his abilities, which was limited. He let his thoughts turn once more to Toph, wishing now that he had not been so short with her. He just could not help himself. She was being a little brat, and when it came to family issues he did not have much tolerance for surliness or aloofness. With his own family so disparate he had trouble containing himself when someone else encountered a family discourse that had a rather simple resolution. In Toph's case all she had to do was swallow her pride and apologize, hopefully opening the door for better communication between both parties. However, thinking of the solution and actually getting Toph to act out on it were two entirely separate things. You could lead an ostrich-horse to water, but you could not make it drink.

Zuko dragged his hands across his face. If he had it his way he would beat the girl until she complied, but that was not the way that his uncle would want him to do it. Besides, he was pretty sure that if he tried that method he would be on the receiving end of the beating, not the one giving it. He groaned.

"Why is this so complicated?" He said aloud to himself, watching as a little green bird hopped about from branch to branch above him.

Zuko watched closely, trying to keep his eye on the nimble little creature. It moved about with grace and agility, bounding from one branch to another without any real purpose. All of a sudden a larger form of the bird came up to it, calling out to it. The little bird turned and flew away, following the larger one to who knows where. A thought struck him at that moment.

What if he was doing it wrong? Instead of forcing the little one to her parents, what if he forced her parents to the little one? Zuko stood up, giving a silent prayer of thanks for this new development in tactics. He would not get Toph to start it, he would get her parents to, thus putting all the pressure on Toph to make amends. She would have to make things right once her folks make the first move, or, at least, he hoped.

Zuko went to Appa and retrieved a dry pair of clothing, changing and hoping that nobody was taking sneak peeks at the weird kid changing on top of a furry beast. After he had rid himself of his wet cloths he hopped off, making his way back towards the house, surprised to see that the debris from his and Toph's scuff already been cleared away with repairs being made to the wall. He made his way to the house, walking through the back door just in time to hear Toph's voice.

"What do you mean he can't make it?! I'm his daughter for goodness sakes! Besides the fact I helped save the world and all! You'd think he show a little decency and set some time aside for me." Zuko made his way towards the dining hall, the source of the noise. He heard Mrs. Bei Fong's subdued voice echo in response of her daughter's fiery tone.

"I'm sorry dear, but he has his business to look after. He's in an important meeting at the moment, and you never did contact us" Zuko could hear Toph's irritated grunt.

"I sent a message how long ago."

"Yes, but that wasn't about this visit. Besides, you're father tore it up." Toph's voice came back low, and soft, suppressed pain vibrating with every syllable.

"Whatever, not like I wanted him to be here anyways." Zuko shook his head, having no clue what type of mess he was going to get himself in. Taking in one last breath of peace he entered the dining room, walking through the open oaken doors.

He found Toph and Mrs. Bei Fong at opposing ends of a large marble table, Toph with her arms crossed and her mother sitting quietly with her hands folded in her lap. Animosity was crackling in the air.

He stood at the entrance awkwardly for a second or so, wondering if he should not just go back the way he came. Mrs. Bei Fong noticed him, a plastered smile spreading across her lips.

"Fire-Lord Zuko, please, do join us. We were just waiting for you." She said, standing up and bustling over to a chair beside her daughter, pulling it back and offering it to him. Toph snorted.

"Mum, I think that the Fire-Lord can managed seating himself." She said. Mrs. Bei Fong shot her daughter a look, though she could not see it. She turned back and continued smiling at Zuko.

"Please, don't mind her, I am just being a good host." She said. Zuko walked up and sat down, thanking Mrs. Bei Fong for her hospitality. He leaned in and gave Toph an elbow.

"Behave." He hissed. Toph grunted, folding her arms and sinking down into her chair further, her shoulders slumped. He rolled his eyes; this wasn't going to end well.

Mrs. Bei Fong walked to the other side of the table and sat down, clapping her hands. Servants began bustling in and out of the dining room, carrying with them silver platters, golden trays, and marble chalices, studded with emeralds. One of the servants came over and placed a chalice before him, a dark crimson liquid swishing around in the glass. He picked it up, swirling it around and raising it to his nose. Wine. He put the chalice to his lips, taking a sip of the tart, fruity, drink. Expensive wine!

Another Chalice was placed before Toph, this one with the Bei Fong family seal on it engraved in silver. Toph picked it up, smelling it and placing it back down with a frown. Zuko looked over, taking a glance at the purple liquid. It seemed that she had received grape juice. He almost laughed, then thought better of it.

The trio soon began to dive into the elaborate dishes, all served on expensive plates and platters. Meats, fruits, soups, vegetables, tarts, and just about any other item that you would expect to find at a palace banquet was present, all cooked to the upmost perfection. It would have been a pleasant meal, even enjoyable, if it hadn't been for Toph.

She tore into her food with her hands, eating with her mouth open and burping several times without excuse. Chunks of food she found unsavory she merely spat out, washing down the bad taste by grabbing Zuko's chalice. Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"Young lady, we have company." She said. Toph laughed, responding with her mouth full.

"Like it would make much a difference if we didn't. You'd still yell at me." She said, continuing to eat in such a manner. When again she reached for Zuko's chalice he pulled it away, unwilling to share the intoxicating liquid.

"Hey, give it here sparky." Said Toph, holding her hand out and snapping her fingers. Zuko shook his head.

"No, drink your grape juice." He said, taking a dignified sip from his wine, returning to his meat with knife and chopsticks. Toph frowned.

"I don't want grape juice, I want wine. Give it here." She said, lunging for the chalice. Zuko pulled it out of her reach.

"Toph, I do not think that you are old enough to have wine." Said her mother. Toph sat back.

"What, afraid that I'll get blind drunk?" She said. Her mother froze, shocked at the comment. She sat back, her face downcast. Zuko leaned over, elbowing her hard.

"Lay off of it." He hissed, next to her ear for emphasis. Toph ignored him, slumping down in her chair, arms crossed. Zuko bit his tongue. Why was she so stubborn? He was sick and tired of dealing with this but he had to get something rolling here, it just felt as if at every turn he was getting outdone by Toph's grumpiness. This was going to take a little more finesse.

Mrs. Bei Fong looked up at the two of them, setting her chopsticks down with a slight clatter.

"So, uhm, how long have you two been together?" She asked. Toph prodded at her plate.

"Ever since sparky here decided to stop being a dip and help us out. He was the one who trained Aang in firebending." Her mother nodded her head slowly.

"And how long have you two been dating?" She asked. Zuko choked on his wine. Toph hacked up a piece of meat, coughing.

"We're, we're not together." Stammered Zuko. Toph nodded her head.

"Ya, we're definitely not together, I mean, come on mom, I'm only thirteen." Replied Toph. Her mother shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry, I just figured since you two had come all alone, without the avatar, that you two were together." Zuko looked at Toph, who in turn was sticking out her tongue. No doubt the same thought was rushing through her mind; them, together, it was just so disturbing. A shiver passed through Zuko's body, which made Toph pause.

"Alright sparky, you can stop pretending it's that bad." Said Toph. Zuko blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry." Her mother looked over at them, then picked up her chopsticks, returning her attention to her meal.

"Besides, you will be of marrying age in one month, so I guess I just thought that you had sorted it all out on your own." Zuko had a bad feeling in his stomach, and he was fairly sure it wasn't from the wine. Toph took in a deep breath as her mother spoke.

"Apparently you have not." Said Mrs. Bei Fong, continuing on. "So I will have to give my attention to that issue once more." The sound of Toph grinding her teeth made Zuko cringe. The pair of chopsticks in her hand snapped in two, one of the pieces smacking him on the forehead.

"Excuse me?" Said Toph in a low menacing voice. Her mother did not meet her blind stare.

"I just said since you will not be attending to your marriage on your own that I will sort it out, you don't have to worry about it." Toph drug her hand slowly across the marble table, deep groves forming beneath her semi-clean fingernails.

"What makes you think I want you to arrange my marriage?" She asked, trying to keep it together. Her mother dabbed at the corner of her cheeks with a napkin.

"It's not a matter of you wanting me to or not young lady, it is tradition; every Bei Fong daughter has been married at fourteen, and to great success. I had persuaded your father to allow you to choose a husband, but since you have so flaunted that responsibility I believe I shall handle it." Zuko braced himself for Toph's reaction.

Toph stood up abruptly, sending her marble chair flying back into the wall, shattering with a thunderous clap.

"How dare you!" Said Toph. Her mother stood up, fury burning in her eyes.

"How dare you!" Toph smashed her hand against the table, splitting it clean in two. Platters and dishes fell to the ground in a thunderous clatter, the only item saved from the fall being Zuko's chalice, which sat grasped in his hands. He put it to his lips and took a long swig. This was the end.

"Silence!" Yelled Toph. Her mother stood stoic, unflinching despite her daughter's outburst.

"Young lady, I will give you till the count of five to collect yourself." Toph gripped her small fingers into little balls.

"Don't you dare." She growled.

"One."

"I'm warning you!"

"Two."

"You'll regret this."

"Three."

"Don't."

"Four."

"That's it." With one rigid movement Toph sent the two halves of the table flying through the walls, a mess of debris shooting everywhere. Zuko coughed, trying to get a breath that was not filled with dust.

Mrs. Bei Fong stood unwavering in the dust, her hands neatly folded into her sleeves. "Five."

Toph shook with rage, her eyes shut as her chest rose and fell. Zuko looked up at Mrs. Bei Fong, noticing her calm countenance, still perfectly fine though her daughter had just destroyed her dining room.

"Young lady, I do believe we need to have a talk." Toph threw up her hands.

"Isn't this what we are doing?!" She cried. Her mother shook her head.

"If you don't mind Fire-Lord, I would like a moment alone with my daughter." Zuko drained the rest of his chalice, then got up to leave. He had done enough damage bringing her here.

Toph stomped on the ground, encasing him up to the neck in earth.

"No, whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of him." She said, pointing a stiff finger over at him as he craned over to watch the conversation develop. Mrs. Bei Fong sighed.

"Very well. Toph, this behavior is totally unacceptable." Zuko cringed; wrong thing to say.

Toph fumed silently for a moment, the only sounds emanating from her were her short breath and the creak of her knuckles as she tried to remain calm.

Finally she spoke, her voice starting low, and menacing. "Unacceptable? My behavior is…unacceptable? What behavior are you talking about mother? This behavior?" She asked, motioning to the room. "Or are you talking about the other behavior, the one where I ran away from you and saved the world!" She yelled, the walls shaking. Mrs. Bei Fong seemed a bit caught off guard.

"Toph, you need to calm down, you are making yourself upset." Toph let loose a caustic laugh.

"I'm upsetting me? I'm sorry, I forgot that I locked myself up for the first twelve years of my life. And it must have been me who prevented me from having a single friend, or trying anything that was too strenuous for my fragile body. It must have been me who forbade me from leaving with the avatar, because obviously I wouldn't like to travel around the world and help people while training the avatar and then stopping the fire-lord later on. Ya, obviously I wouldn't want to do that, I might do something beneficial for society." Mrs. Bei Fong sat stunned, her mouth opened slightly. Toph sensed her advantage and plowed right ahead.

"Wait a minute." She said, mock realization spreading across her face. "That wasn't me, that was you! It was you that locked me up for twelve years, depriving me of everything that makes childhood worthwhile. Heck, I would have preferred we were poor, at least then I might have been able to do something, but no, I had to be born to a pompous, rich family. Well, tell you what, let's settle things my way. You beat me in a fight and I'll stay, I win and I get to move on, sound fair?" Mrs. Bei Fong blinked, recovering herself.

"Toph I'm not going to fight you." She said simply. Toph snorted.

"Damn right you aren't." Her mother put a hand to her mouth.

"Young lady, watch your mouth!" She said. Toph rolled her eyes.

"Geesh mum, wish I could, but, you know, blind and all." She said, pointing to her eyes. Her mother's cheeks burnt bright red.

"Toph, I am not going to put up with anymore of your sass, I think you need some time to cool off." Toph crossed her arms.

"Is that so, mother? Well, what are you going to do about it?" She asked. Mrs. Bei Fong opened her mouth, then shut it, realizing that she had lost any power that she had once held over Toph. She was not the helpless little blind girl that she thought she had been. She was strong, and able to take care of herself, thus severing any fear of her mother, as she did not need her. And since she had not been the idealistic mother she did not have the respect that usually led children to obey, even when they did not agree.

Zuko felt his stomach fold in knots as Mrs. Bei Fong stood there, contemplating her dilemma. He knew what was coming, the final thing that she could throw at her. When she spoke, it came as no surprise.

"I will disown you." Said Mrs. Bei Fong, making Zuko cringe and Toph reel.

"You'll what!?" She demanded, irate. Mrs. Bei Fong held herself with the poise of a dignified lady.

"Your behavior has been unacceptable of late, unbecoming for a young lady. You have flaunted all of our rules and demands, brushing them off. You have possessed deaf ears and an insolent tongue, and so, now that you have shown your reluctance to recant for your actions I am left with no choice but to severe you from the family. The Bei Fong's are of the highest class, and you are not worthy of carrying on that mantle." And then, in a lower tone. "I shall have the papers drawn up in the morning." Toph shook. A single tear streaked down her cheek, hidden by shaggy hair.

"Mother…" Mrs. Bei Fong bowed.

"Goodbye Ms. Toph, it was a pleasure having you for dinner." And with that she left, leaving Zuko and Toph all alone in the destroyed dining room. Zuko blinked, stunned by what had just transpired. It had all happened so fast. He hadn't even had time to implement anything!

His heart raced as he thought of all the vile things Toph was liable to do to him after that fiasco, but she merely turned and walked away, leaving Zuko encased in his little earthen mound. Dropping his head he let it hit against the top of the mound with a thunk.

"Idiot."

* * *

A heavy fog lay over his mind, haunting dark thoughts plaguing his sleep. Crying out Aang realized that he had no air in his lungs. Sucking at air all he got back was a thick black ooze. It ran down his throat and seeped into his lungs, making him choke. He thrashed and kicked, the pain seizing him, Fighting he tried to get out, but the ooze had become an overwhelming tide, taking him under. There was nothing he could do, it was the end, he had failed.

"Aang!" The call was distant, bleak, obscured by the ooze. A hand grabbed him, shaking him.

"Aang, wake up!" Slowly the blackness began to subside. The voice became clearer, concern permeating every syllable.

"Aang, please wake up! Come on!" Aang gasped, sitting up straight. His head spun, little dots dancing before his vision. A burning sensation sat in his lungs.

"What…what's going on?" He asked, gasping at air. A pair of warm hands enveloped him, squeezing him tightly.

"Ohh Aang, you're alright!" Said Katara, tears dripping down her face. Aang tried to move, smothered by her embrace. Eventually Katara noticed it, being courteous enough to give him some room.

"Aang, what in the world happened?" She asked. Aang blinked, looking at her face. A vision of bleeding eyes passed through his mind.

"I…I don't really know." He said. He looked around, dazed, noticing that almost everyone else was there. Mai and Ty-Lee stood to the side, concern plastered across their faces. Sokka looked at him with relief, obviously feeling that he was partially responsible since he had seen him last. Katara looked at him, her big blue eyes pleading with him.

"There was this guy, he started talking to me." Started Aang. Everyone exchanged a confused look.

"A guy?" Said Sokka. Mai looked at him.

"Was he one of the servants?" She asked. Aang shook his head.

"No, he wasn't one of the servants, he was wearing all black, and he was covered in scars. I think that I would have remembered that." Mai and Ty-Lee exchanged a quick glance.

"That doesn't sound like any of the servants I know." Said Ty-Lee. Mai shook her head.

"It must have been someone from the outside. Maybe one of our guests that have graced us with their company over the past few weeks finally got in." Said Mai, referring to the endless mob of people that crowded at the palace gates, trying to get a glimpse of the avatar. Aang nodded, forgetting the crowd. They had been too busy with the festivities last night to notice the avatar wondering about their streets, well, most of them.

"What did he want Aang?" Asked Katara. Aang looked back at her, remembering his strange conversation with Joshua.

"He wanted to me to hand Azula over to him." Said Aang, half to himself. The others stared at him, befuddled.

"Hand Azula over to him? Why?" Said Sokka, voicing everyone's opinion.

Aang shook his head. "I don't know, but he was pretty adamant about it. He really, really, wanted her." He said, remembering the crazed look in the man's eyes. The others looked at him.

"I can buy that. Can't say I agree locking her up, not after everything that she did. There's been a few times that I wished I had killed her back in that prison, you know, when we broke Katara out." Said Sokka.

"Hey, I remember that!" Said Ty-Lee, pausing as she looked at Katara. An embarrassed look crossed her face.

"Sorry." She said, blushing. Katara glared at her for a second.

"I'm still not over that." She said. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Girls, come on, let's focus on the issue here." He said. "Some random guy came up to Aang and demanded Azula. What in the world is this about?" Asked Sokka. Aang shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know." He said. Sokka glared at him.

"Well what did you say? Surely you told him that Azula was going to get what was hers, you know, a bit of poetic justice or something of the sort. Justice of any sort actually would work for me" Said Sokka. Aang turned red, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, not exactly." He said. A sharp stab of pain shot through him as he went over a bump on his neck. Wincing he pulled his hand away, regretting that he did not think of the prick earlier. Katara jumped.

"Aang, are you okay, what's wrong!?" She said. Aang resisted the urge to itch the area, now that the pain had passed.

"It's nothing, it's just that guy, he poked me with something on the back of the neck, that's how I was knocked out." He said, turning to Sokka. His friend began stroking his chin.

"What do you mean not exactly?" He asked.

"Well, I kinda of told him no, and that it was up to Zuko, but then he became really angry, saying that putting Zuko in charge after he had done everything he did was really bad." Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"So this guy doesn't like Zuko either?" Asked Sokka. Mai shrugged her shoulders.

"That's no big deal, there's a lot of people who don't like him." Aang scratched the back of his head, letting Katara check out the prick on the back of his neck.

"Well, I think he might know him a little better. He called him Zuzu." Said Aang. Katara's hands paused.

"He used his pet name?" Said Katara. Again Mai shrugged, though this time she seemed a bit more thrown off.

"It's probably some old acquaintance of Azula who's trying to bust her out." She said. Sokka shook his head.

"No offense, but none of this helps us that much. Sure, now we know that he might have been associated with Azula, but that's a lot of people. Let's try this from a different angle. What was this guy like? You said he had a bunch of scars and was wearing black, but what else can you describe about him?" Aang thought for a moment, remembering Joshua's crazed look.

"He was really tall, and lanky, like you." He said. Sokka crossed his arms, offended.

"I'm not lanky, I'm just in shape." Replied Sokka, feeling that his arms were an entirely inadequate size at the current moment. He tried to flex them a bit harder, no one was buying it. Katara rolled her eyes, returning her attention to Aang.

"What else?" She asked.

"Well, he had blue eyes, and two fire-nation symbols, one on each shoulder. I think that they were branded on." Said Aang, wincing at the thought of searing hot metal melting into his soft skin. Mai perked up, taking notice of Aang's story.

"Anything else?" Asked Katara. Aang nodded his head, recalling the oddest fact.

"I can't be a hundred percent certain, but I think that he had blonde hair." He said. Sokka and Katara exchanged a look, not buying it. Ty-Lee's eyes widened, her mouth flying open. A gloved hand covered it. She looked over, noticing Mai, her finger pressed to her lips. Shutting her mouth, Ty-Lee tried to appear normal, but she was still bouncing around, which, albeit, was basically normal for Ty-Lee. Aang noticed the exchange.

"Do you know something Ty-Lee?" Asked Aang. Everyone turned to her. She stuttered for a moment, looking over at Mai for direction. Mai shook her head ever so slightly.

"No, I was just thinking how pretty blonde hair must be!" She chirped, a grin across her face. Katara sighed.

"As usual you're totally useless." Ty-Lee looked hurt by her remark, but Sokka smacking Katara in the back of the head made her feel a bit better.

"Knock it off Katara." Said Sokka. His sister turned around and stared him down, but she did not retaliate. While the others turned back to Aang Mai motioned for Ty-Lee to follow, the two slipping out of the room.

"So, we're looking for a guy with blue eyes, fire-nation tattoos."

"They were brands." Corrected Aang. Sokka waved a hand at him.

"Whatever." He said, moving on. "Fire-nation brands, blonde hair, tall, lanky and likes to wear black. Great, we can make posters of this guy, we'll call him the fire-shadow!" Said Sokka, throwing his arms up in dramatic fashion. Aang and Katara looked at each other, a moment later bursting into laughter. Sokka sat indignantly, waiting for them to get it out.

"You know." Said Aang, recovering himself. "We could just call him Joshua, he told me his name." Said Aang. Sokka huffed.

"Probably was a lie, why would he tell you his real name if he wanted to attack you?" He said.

"He wasn't attacking me Sokka, he was warning me." Replied Aang. Katara sat thoughtfully for a moment.

"Wait a minute, did you say Joshua?" She asked. Aang nodded his head.

"Ya, what of it?" He asked. Katara turned to him.

"Remember when we first got Jack? He was delirious with a fever and he mumbled in his sleep a lot. Remember what name he sat their mumbling over and over again?" She asked. Aang's face lit up as he recalled.

"Joshua." He said. Sokka shrugged his shoulders, annoyed that he had not thought of it first.

"There's probably millions of Joshua's in the world, it can't be the same guy." Aang and Katara stared at him.

"Alright, maybe a thousand." Said Sokka. They continued to stare.

"Alright granted, he might be the only Joshua in the whole world. But how do we know that this is the guy Jack was mumbling about?" He asked.

"Maybe because he came to warn me about him?" Said Aang.

"Wait, what?" Asked Katara, stunned.

"I thought he wanted you to give up Azula." Said Sokka. Aang rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Well, after I said no he told me he was going to help out. He warned me about Jack, and said that he'd point me in the right direction." Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Where did he say to go?" Aang suddenly realized that Joshua had not told him.

"I don't think he did say." Replied Aang. Sokka shook his head.

"This was probably some nut." Replied Sokka, turning and walking away as his interest in the conversation faltered. He would just go make his posters, that should help. Katara looked at Aang.

"You know, Sokka's right. There's really no reason to doubt Jack. He is a diamondbender, and he has amnesia, so there's not much to question about his past since he doesn't remember it. Besides, if he knew that Jack wasn't who he was pretending to be he would have told you who he really was." Said Katara. Aang shifted, noticing something in his hand. He lifted it up, opening his fist to find a piece of paper. Katara leaned in.

"What's that?" She asked. Aang shook his head, opening it up. There were some flowering calligraphy scrawled across it.

_Circus freak Ty-Lee_

_Knows more than she likes to say_

_Dredge up the past_

"What?" Asked Katara, looking at the little brown slip of paper. Aang handed it over to her, waiting a moment for her to read it.

"Ty-Lee? What would she know about Jack?" She asked. Aang shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, but I plan on finding out."

* * *

The air was teeming with tension. He could swear that he saw sparks flashing through the air. That, or it was coming from her fingertips. Taking a closer look he realized that it was actually coming from her fingertips. Sparks of blue lightning jumped from her crimson nails, dancing around the edge of her fingers, bouncing from one to the next in a little arc. Jack snorted.

"Show off." He muttered. Azula grinned at him.

"You've always been jealous of my skills." She said, bouncing the lightning from hand to hand. Jack picked up a bit of dirt from the ground. Using his unique set of skills he turned it into a little blue diamond, shining bright, shaped in the form of a heart. He broke it in half, tossing one to Azula. She caught it without looking. Opening her hand she saw the half heart, only to see it turn to ash.

"You did that, you know." He said, showing her the still intact half he held in his hand. She glowered at him.

"If you would try, we could fix it." He continued on. The elements began to collect around the piece, melding into it with a flicker of light. Another half began to form, shaping itself onto the solitary half. A bolt of lightning went clean through it, disrupting the process and sending the other diamond flying. Jack stared at his now empty hand, turning to see Azula's smoking fingertips. She raised them to her lips, blowing the wisps away.

"Like I said, if you tried." He said, leaning up against the wall. He allowed his body to slide down to the ground, where he sat and stared at her, wondering where it all went wrong. Azula looked at him then turned, muttering something to herself. She shifted around for a while, poking around at what was left in her room after her last episode.

Charred items littered the floor, burnt books laying in piles of ash, a fetid stench permeated the cell, smoke. Once a week Zuko had her cell cleaned up and her things replaced, only so that she could destroy them again as the week went by. The only things that ever survived her mindless rage were the bed, and her closet of clothes, which Zuko had been kind enough to send to her. At the moment she was in her outfit from yesterday, the only thing out of place was the state of her raven black hair, tufts of it strewn about wildly, the golden head piece sitting awkwardly to one side, off-balanced.

Jack sighed. He could not help but feel sorry for her when he saw her like this, only a husk of what she used to be, her mind so jumbled from recent events that she could barely think straight, and even when she could it usually came to how everyone betrayed her, and how she was alone in the world. It was truly pitiful.

At the moment she sat at her cabinet, looking through her clothes. She muttered to herself, displeased by the lack of choices, though there must have been at least thirty different outfits. Turning back towards Jack she gazed at him, seeming to play around with something. An argument seemed to come up, between the two sides of her. He had seen this before, it always proceeded a venture into their past lives, something he did not relish. Coming to a decision Azula strode over, carrying herself with the elegant poise she was known for. Looking down at him she smiled, a sweet and tempting look.

"So, you're here." She started. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Azula, I've been here the whole time. I've been here for weeks! I come to see you every day." He said. Azula waved him off, dismissing the notion.

"Please, you may have been here physically but you weren't truly here, you were somewhere else, weren't you?" She said. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Try to remember Azula, I don't talk crazy. At least, not anymore" A pained look shot across her face and immediately he wished that he could take it back, but it had been said and there was nothing he could do about it now. Azula seemed to brush it off, obviously a bit hurt by his comment.

"What I mean, street-rat." She said, animosity dripping in her voice. "Is that you really have not been here, you've been in the past. All you've been trying to do so far is to move the pieces back, back to another time when you imagined yourself happy." She said. Jack opened his mouth to speak, then thought of it for a moment. Was she right? Had he just been trying to move backwards? Azula kept going, seeing the debate raging in his mind.

"The problem is that the past is gone and dead, you can't have it back." She said. Jack nodded his head. Alright, that seemed logical, he was not going to bring back Amy, no matter how many times he talked to her.

"So the thing you should be asking yourself is not what can you reclaim, but what can you make?" Jack looked at her, noticing a different appearance on her face. It seemed more calm than previously, truth and honesty dancing across it. She actually seemed genuine, as if she was saying this not only for him but for herself as well. Perhaps she was trying to start over, to mend old hurts. Or perhaps she was trying a new ploy.

"Things were pretty bad between us." Said Azula. Jack looked up at her.

"Are." He corrected.

"They can get better." She responded.

"You imprisoned and tortured me." He said.

"And I am sorry for that, truly I am." She said. Jack fought off the rising tide of emotion. His heart was telling him that she was being honest, that she really was sorry for what happened, but his mind was screaming at him not to trust her, to watch out. Half of him wanted to laugh at her, half of him wanted to beat the tar out of her, and half of him wanted to believe her, so one could imagine the ambivalence that he was currently confronting, in possession of three halves of himself. Azula kept on.

"I know that I've done a lot of things that aren't amiable, and to be frank some of them were down right barbarous, but I want to move on." She said, her golden eyes pleading with him. Jack rolled his eyes, a motion that Azula was not oblivious to.

"It's not like you've been such an angel yourself." She replied, reading his thoughts. Jack looked up at her, his heart racing.

"I was receiving the reports Jack. All those mysterious deaths and disappearances, some of them were the earth-kingdom, but be honest here, a lot of them were you." She said. Jack did not object.

"And whatever did happen to Korin?" She asked. Jack twitched, lowering his eyes. Azula nodded her head slowly.

"I see, well, I guess that was to be expected, I was not all that forgiving myself when those close to me began to betray me. Believe me, there were a few times I wanted to execute them myself." She said, offering a slight chuckle. Jack did not look up. She was getting to him, her words were sinking in deep, finding chinks in his armor. He wanted to believe her, he wanted to so bad, but his mind was setting off anything that could ring to warn him, he had to leave now, but he could not, he just could not accept it. This is what he had been hoping for all along, that she was actually sorry for what she did and that she wanted to make amends. Everything she was saying was exactly how he wanted it to be. Not some sappy break down with weepy tears; no that was not Azula, but rather a stiff, yet heartfelt, apology that demonstrated the similarities in their character. It was getting to him, and Azula knew it.

"Look, I know that I've been anything but trustworthy in the past, and I'm the last person that deserves your forgiveness, but perhaps we can at least start anew, right here right now." She said, a gentle smile on her face. Jack looked up at her, tears brimming in his eyes. His body shook violently as he saw her outstretched hand. He wanted to grab it and make amends; he wanted to rip her apart and end it all; he did not know what he wanted and she knew it.

"Azula." He choked, trying to get a grip. She went down to her knees, looking him in the eyes. He looked back at her, staring deep into her sparkling golden eyes, their rich hues swallowing him whole.

"I…" Jack stopped, not able to go on. Azula put a hand on his shoulder, a calm, reassuring hand.

"You don't have to do anything right now, but let's just call this a new beginning." She said, standing up and walking back over to her bed. She sat down, her back to Jack. He watched as her shoulders shook softly, perhaps in sorrow, or was it mirth? He could not tell.

Standing up on shaky legs he made a move to go over to Azula, he did not know what he was going to do. Hit her? Kill her? Hug her? He did not know, but before he could get there he was interrupted by something at the door. A sharp slicing sound echoed in the little cell, the cell door falling down on the floor with a thunderous crash.

Jack and Azula both turned towards the door, stunned. A solitary figure dusted his hands off, a wide toothy grin spread across his face.

"Well, well, well, if this ain't a reunion then I don't know what is. Now look, you don't have to get all teary eyed just because I showed up" Jack looked at the face, recognizing the figure instantly.

"Joshua."


	4. Lunatic Abroad

**Chapter IV**

Zuko shook slightly as he stood outside the door. He had broken his way out of the little earthen mound without much effort, but now he stood outside Mrs. Bei Fong's room shaking, trying to get control of his limbs. The plan was to talk with her and convince her not to disown Toph and that everything was really his fault, but at the moment his will power was failing him. Lacking proper social skills Zuko was just not prepared for this. This required finesse, tact, and subtle cajoling, three categories that he failed miserably at. If only Azula was present at the moment, she would be able to sweet talk her way out of this situation, just like she used to sweet talk her way out of a spanking.

The thought of Azula gave Zuko pause. He had rather neglected her since becoming Fire-Lord, focusing his attention on the immediate duties set before him. Here he was talking about mending broken families and relationships and he was neglecting to do just that. Heck, Jack was giving it a better shot than him, and Azula had tortured him for a couple of years.

_What would mother think of all this?_ He thought. An image of his mother flashed through his mind, her beautiful raven black hair flowing gently in the breeze as they sat outside together underneath the cherry tree, feeding the turtle-ducks. He knew deep down that he was never going to see her again, and that simple truth brought to him the resolve he needed to open the door. Breathing in deeply he reached out a hand, rapping quietly on the door. The sound of someone shuffling alerted him to Mrs. Bei Fong's presence, and a few seconds later she opened the door.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her makeup slightly smudged. She held a tissue in her hand, which she had probably been using to dab at her tears. A look of utter exhaustion and defeat lay on her face, and seeing Zuko seemed only to worsen the mood.

"Ohh, Fire-Lord, I'm sorry, I do fear that the night has went terribly wrong." She said, stepping out into the hall with him, letting the door close shut. Zuko cleared his throat.

"Mrs. Bei Fong, I just wanted to apologize, for everything." He started, but she held up a hand, cutting him off.

"No, don't do that. I know that you brought that girl along just to try and round her out, but there's no use. You can't get through to her, she's as stubborn as the earth she bends." Said Mrs. Bei Fong, dabbing at a tear. Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

"Mrs. Bei Fong, I think that you really upset her tonight." Said Zuko. Mrs. Bei Fong looked shocked.

"I upset her? Was I the one eating in such a disgusting manner or destroying the dining room and her room? I do not think so. No, she has no right to be upset with me. Running away like that and ruining all my plans." She said, looking off to the side. Zuko tried to not point out the whole 'my plans' thing. An idea struck him. He held out his hand.

"Take a walk with me." He said. Mrs. Bei Fong looked at him suspiciously for a moment but eventually she grabbed his hand, if not with some hesitation. He led her down the hall tacitly, making his way back over to Toph's room. It was dark, so he let go of Mrs. Bei Fong and lit one of his fists, illuminating the room.

"Ohh my, that is nice isn't it?" She said. Zuko smiled.

"You like it? I thought that everyone besides firebenders hated firebending." He said, keeping the flame under control. Mrs. Bei Fong smiled.

"All the elements are beautiful in their true nature, it is when one fractures that nature that they become vile and ugly things." She said. Zuko titled his head. That sounded like something his uncle would say. Shaking his head he focused on the reason he had come. He walked over to the shelf with the little dolls on it, motioning Mrs. Bei Fong to follow. He came up to the doll of the blind bandit, picking it up gingerly.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked. Mrs. Bei Fong leaned in close, staring at the dolls.

"Yes, those are the dolls we got for Toph on her eighth birthday. Even after I taught her how to identify the clothing she still persisted in dressing them all wrong; I gave up on that venture long ago." She said. Zuko shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, do you know what this is?" He asked again, handing Mrs. Bei Fong the doll this time. She looked closely at it, turning it over in her hands.

"This looks like that horrid outfit that Toph wears." She said. Zuko nodded his head.

"That's because that's supposed to be her. She dressed the doll up like herself because it was the only one that understood her. She set it off to the side because she was all alone in the world." He said, taking the doll back and putting it down away from the other dolls. Mrs. Bei Fong shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, it's not our fault. We did what we could for the poor child, but she's just been so stubborn and obstinate, she never tries to see things from our perspective." Zuko bit his tongue, holding back a disparage against Mrs. Bei Fong. He wanted to tell her straight up that she never tried understanding Toph and that she had been a horrible parent, but he had to be patient, or at least give it a better shot.

"Mrs. Bei Fong, I know that Toph has made quite a mess of things, but you have to admit that you are at least partially responsible for this. I mean, have you ever tried looking at it from her point of view?" Mrs. Bei Fong opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it, thinking for a moment. Zuko pressed ahead while he held the advantage.

"I know she's really stubborn and can be a pain at times, believe me, but she really is sorry for what has happened between you guys. She wants to fix things, but every time she tries to talk to you it all goes back to how she messed everything up and how she's the one causing the problem. I agree that she is part of the problem, but she is not the only problem. Blame has to be taken on your part as well." Mrs. Bei Fong stood still, her face blank. Zuko tried to read her, but there was not even a flicker of thought behind her eyes. For a moment he thought that he might have broken her, but then she burst into a torrent of sobs. She fell down to her knees, sobbing violently.

Zuko took a step back, shocked by her reaction. She had been so stoic at dinner, and even after when she was crying in her room he could tell that she kept it under control, but this, this was just a mess. She balled into her hands, tears cascading down her face as she shook. He reached out a hesitant hand, thinking of what he should do. Eventually he laid it on her shoulder, hoping that it was in a comforting manner.

The two sat like that for a while, until Mrs. Bei Fong began to compose herself. She took in some deep calming breaths, looking up at Zuko with a haggard face, exhausted by the day's events. She shook her head slowly.

"Ohh, Fire-Lord, what am I to do? I really have messed things up haven't I? What type of parent am I? Never once did I think of her. It was always about me and the family name. I was too concerned about how she would represent the family name that I did not even bother trying to see things from her perspective. Ohh, what am I to do?" Zuko tried to not smile to broadly, glee running through him as his plan finally started to work. He bent down on a knee, taking Mrs. Bei Fong's hands in his own.

"There's only one thing to do Mam, and that's to apologize." He said. Mrs. Bei Fong shook her head.

"How can I apologize for what I have done? I do not think there's enough forgiveness in the world to take away what I've done to that poor girl." Zuko helped her to her feet.

"Well, there's only one way to figure out."

* * *

Toph strode about in the garden, tears falling down her cheek. She brought the back of her hand up to her nose, wiping it with a loud sniff. How could she do this to her?! How dare she, after all she had done for the earth-kingdom and the world that pompous snob had the audacity to disown her? She did not have the type of status worthy of being a Bei Fong? Well fine, then she was too high a status for them! Heck, a chicken-pig would have too much status for a family like this. They would not want to risk giving themselves some actual respectability, now, would they?

Toph continued storming about the garden, tossing boulders about and marching through bushes. Her mother would have another fit, but she did not care. Her mother could do whatever she pleased, but Toph did not have to listen to her ever again, nor would she. She was not part of the family, and if they did not want her then she did not want them.

When Zuko had first brought her here she was a bit terrified that her parents would not forgive her for how she had hurt them. That was why she had been so eager to leave, she wanted to send some messages ahead so that way she could smooth things over before coming out, but Zuko had other plans.

She shook her head as she thought of him. That arrogant little punk, what was he thinking? She was going to drop kick that guy so hard that he was going to have to clear his throat before he farted.

And Jack, how dare he! Toph thought that out of anyone that she could trust it was him, someone used to being on the outside of love. She had confided in him with some of her most precious secrets and fears, and he turned around and set her up. When she got back she was going to have a little chat with that good for nothing scumbag. He probably was not going to have a family in his life.

Toph continued to fume, stomping and bashing anything that came in her way. She was so frustrated, so aggravated, so pissed off! There seemed no way to make this day any worse.

Slowly, as she got her anger out, she began to calm down. Finally, when her rage had almost fully subsided, she found a little stone bench, taking a seat on it. She shook her head, her hair bouncing about. Wiping her cheeks she took the time to think long and hard about all that had happened.

Sure Zuko had had no business doing what he did, but he had only done it because he had cared. He just had wanted to see her broken relationship mended, that's all. And as for Jack he probably was just looking for the same thing. They had only meant to help, but instead they messed things up terribly. Sighing, Toph leaned on her hand.

Well, maybe that was not true either. Things had only gone the way they did because of the way she had acted. Even when she was free and about with Aang and the others she had never acted like such a slob. Sure, she had burped and scratched and picked her nose, but not in such an excessive manner so as to annoy someone. Thinking back on it she probably had not been all that fair to her mother. Sure she had no right trying to arrange a marriage for her, but that did not mean she had the right to act like a little brat. There was no saying how much damage she had caused with her little tantrum.

She shook her head. If she had just forgiven them and put the burden on them then she would not feel the way she did now. She would have felt better, maybe not happy, but at least she could say that it was not her fault that the relationship was not working. However, right now, she was pretty sure that it was all her fault. She had been the worse child in history, save maybe Azula, but she was basically the worse person in history, so there was not much saying about that.

Toph sighed. She guessed that she was going to have to go and apologize for ruining everything. She shook her head. Why was it when it came to doing anything outside of her family she could succeed, but as soon as her family was involved she messed thing up so bad that you could not see top from bottom.

Standing up she determined to go in and apologize to her mother, and, if necessary, she would actually beg for her forgiveness. She would not stay with them, but at least she would try to set things straight. Walking back down the path towards the house, she let her hands run through the bushes, feeling the drying leaves as the time came for them to fall. Coming across one bush she felt a sharp prick on her finger. Retracting her finger with a little yelp she put it in her mouth, the metallic taste of blood seeping onto her tongue. She did not remember there being any bushes with thorns in the garden.

Suddenly Toph realized that she was not alone. Her mother stood in front of her, her hands folded neatly into her sleeves. Toph froze. She had just planned on finding her in order to apologize, but that idea vanished as her anger came back. She just could not help it, she felt so much rage towards her mother, especially now that she was here.

Turning around Toph crossed her arms, putting her back to her mother.

"I don't remember there being any plants with thorns in the garden." She huffed. She could feel her mother as she came closer, bending down on her knee. She tried to reach for Toph's hand, but she pulled away, turning to face her with the best scowl she could muster. Mrs. Bei Fong sighed.

"I understand now Toph." She said. Toph could feel the rage coursing through her body.

"Now you understand? Now, at the end of everything, now you understand? Anyone can get it now that I don't need protection!" Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she let her anger out.

"I needed you to be the first one to believe in me, to encourage me and help me. You were supposed to help me with my disabilities and aid me in my strength, but instead you were detrimental to both!" Toph took a second to wipe away her tears. "You didn't understand me when I needed you most, and now, now when I have finally struck out on my own, now you understand. Now you offer aid, but I don't need it. You're my mother! How could you do this to me!?" She cried, turning back around and crossing her arms, crying softly. Mrs. Bei Fong hesitated for a second, then looked at the rosebush, an idea popping in her head.

"When I was your age." She started, standing behind Toph. "Your father bought me those roses. They are a very special type of rose, with green and white petals, though I know you cannot see them. He did it as part of our courtship, and in the end my parents chose him. Not because of the flowers, of course, but for different reasons. His status and wealth, things such as that." Toph snorted, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve.

"If some guy gave me some fancy flowers I'd just smash them. All he was doing was trying to smooth things over with your parents in order to be their favorite, and it looked like it worked." Mrs. Bei Fong shook her head.

"No, that wasn't it at all. When he brought the roses, it was just one small flower. He planted it in the backyard without me knowing, and every night he came over and took care of it. Eventually, when I found it bursting in full bloom, there was a note attached to it. It said that like this flower, he would tend to our love until it burst into full bloom." She said, a smile on her face as she recalled the event. Toph tried to roll her eyes, but it did not turn out all that well.

"Well, that sure explains nothing." She said. Mrs. Bei Fong took in a deep breath.

"There's a reason, if you' just give me the chance." Said her mother. Toph was half tempted to walk away, but she could sense Zuko standing off to her right, about a hundred feet or so away; his arms were crossed. Sighing, Toph stood still, thus signaling her mother that she could continue.

"When we had you, and we found out you were blind, I had the servants remove all the plants with thorns in the garden, especially as you became more and more fond of it. However, when it came to this bush, I told them to cut the thorns, and leave the plant. You see, it meant so much to me that I kept it, despite the risk it might mean for you. However, as I realized, I did not do it out of love for you, but rather love for your father, and not wanting to hurt his feelings. And as the years went by with you by our sides that became a pattern for me. I would do things to accommodate your father, not you. I'm sorry to say, but since you were born blind, your father became bitter, and the only solace that he found was in recreating the time before you existed, when our love was our only focus. That is why we treated you the way we did; it was never for you, it was only for us." She said. Tears slowly trickled down Mrs. Bei Fong's cheeks as she gave her confession, laying it all out before her daughter.

"I know that the last thing I deserve is your forgiveness, and that you have every right to hate us, especially me, but after hearing about what you have done, not just for the earth-kingdom but the whole world, I feel that perhaps you have the strength to do what we could not. We could never forgive ourselves for having a blind child, and I've hated every single day that I wasted trying to change you, but I did not have the strength to forgive myself, and neither did your father. I humbly ask for your forgiveness, though I do not expect it." Mrs. Bei Fong sat silent, her head bowed in respect to her daughter's decision, no matter what it be.

Toph stood silent, unmoving. Her breath was calm, and controlled, her muscles loose and relaxed. It seemed that she was undisturbed by her mother's words. After a few more moments of silence Mrs. Bei Fong arose.

"I am sorry Toph, truly I am. Please, leave this place, do whatever you wish, my only desire is that you be happy." And with that she walked away, leaving Toph behind on the path. Seconds passed by, and Toph did not move, her form still and vacant of any activity. All of nature held its breath, and Zuko was starting to lose all hope. Then, right when it seemed that everything was lost, she turned. Reaching out a hand she called out.

"Mother!" She cried, her voice tight. Tears welled in her eyes and fell down her face. She ran after her, running full into her mother's loving embrace.

"I forgive you. I forgive you for everything!" She cried, her voice choked with emotion. She squeezed her mother with all her might, unwilling to let her go ever again.

"Please, please, can't you forgive me?" Her mother held her tight, tears falling down her face.

"I forgive you, I forgive you. It's all right Toph. Everything is fine, my love." She cajoled softly, wrapping her arms around her daughter. Off in the background, watching closely, stood Zuko, pumping his fist in victory.

* * *

Aang and Katara sat behind a pillar, waiting for Mai to vacate the area. They had been following Ty-Lee and Mai forever, but they wanted her alone. If they confronted her with Mai by her side she was liable to play dumb or disregard their claims. Alone, however, she was a much easier target, as she did not function well without an authority figure close at hand.

They stood quietly behind the pillar, holding their breaths. Mai was currently looking out the window, just as she had been for the past five minutes, not speaking a word. Ty-Lee stood languidly by her side, bored with their current activity, voicing as much.

"What are we doing? This is boring." She griped, sighing. Mai ignored her whining, consumed in thought.

"We've got to tell him." She replied.

"Who?" Asked Ty-Lee. Mai turned around.

"Who do you think? He's got to know. If that lunatic is out and about you know he's not just going to stop at asking for Azula, he's probably already trying to find a way to break in. He's always over there, we've got to go warn him." Said Mai, starting off. Ty-Lee stood back.

"I don't want to go." She said. Mai stopped, turning back around.

"What do you mean you don't want to go?" She asked. Ty-Lee shifted uneasily on her feet.

"I don't like being around her when she's like that. She's meaner than usual. It makes me scared." Said Ty-Lee. Mai sighed, putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Alright, you can stay here, just go hide in your room for the moment; try to avoid the others. I still have to think it all over. Perhaps he'll have an idea of what to do." She said, turning and walking away.

Aang and Katara listened closely as Mai walked away from them, her footsteps receding until the sound of a door being opened echoed out. It slammed against the wall, a fierce wind blowing it back. Eventually the door shut, and the palace was quiet again. Ty-Lee sighed, slowly making her way towards her room.

Aang looked over at Katara, nodding his head. She gave him a reassuring nod, then they came out from around the pillar, walking up behind Ty-Lee.

"Ty-Lee." Said Aang, startling the poor girl. She jumped, spinning around with her hands up in a defensive position. Katara rolled her eyes.

"We're not going to hurt you moron." She said. Aang glared at her. They did not need to insult her at the moment, they were trying to get some sensitive information from her. Turning back to her he offered his biggest smile.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you there, I just wanted to talk." He said. Ty-Lee got nervous, her hands falling to her side.

"Ohh, well, uhh, I kinda have to get to my room at the moment." She said, turning and walking away. Aang hurried up in front of her, leaning on the door frame.

"I just need a minute." He said. Ty-Lee shook her head.

"No, I really need to go." She said, doing a flip over his arm and into the next room. Aang gritted his teeth, using his airbending to get in front of Ty-Lee again. He held out his hand, stopping her.

"Look, Ty-Lee, this is series. Lives could be at stake, including Azula's. You don't want to get her hurt, now, do you?" He asked. Ty-Lee froze, a debate raging in her mind. Aang contained a smile, knowing that he hit a nerve. Eventually she opened her mouth.

"Alright, what is it?" She said. Katara came up besides Aang.

"What do you know about Joshua?" She said. Ty-Lee blushed, shifting on her feet.

"Joshua, uhh, nothing, I don't even know that name." She said. Aang shook his head, the lie obvious.

"Ty-Lee, we know you know him. You're a terrible liar; besides, he left me with a piece of paper saying that he knew you." Said Aang, stretching the truth a bit. Ty-Lee shook her head.

"Sorry, but I don't know anything about Jack's friend." She said, slapping a hand over her mouth after the words came out. Aang and Katara exchanged a shocked glance, turning back to Ty-Lee.

"Wait, what?!" Said Katara. Ty-Lee shook her head, pushing her way through the two of them.

"Sorry, got to leave!" She called, running down the hall and away from them. Aang and Katara stayed behind, watching as she disappeared.

"We've got to get her to talk." Said Katara. Aang nodded his head.

"Come on, let's go get Sokka, he'll know what to do." Leaving Ty-lee to go back to her room the pair went off in search of Sokka. After searching his room as well as the kitchen they found him in the library, a book on his knees. He seemed to be distracted, staring off into the fireplace instead of the rather large text on fire-nation history. Sighing he turned a page, not bothering to look at it at all. Katara and Aang came up to him, disrupting his melancholic mood.

"Sokka, we need your help." Said Aang. Sokka looked up at them languidly.

"What is it now? Can't you see I'm busy being depressed?" He said, letting out another long sigh. Katara rolled her eyes.

"No time for that now Sokka, we need you to get Ty-Lee to talk." She said. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you two are getting all nosy and trying to find out who she likes so you can set her up?" Said Sokka. Aang shook his head.

"Sokka, this is serious!' He said. Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"So is love. So, what's up?" Replied Sokka.

"You know that guy I said knocked me out?" Said Aang. Sokka put one leg on top of the other.

"You mean the guy we just got done talking about only an hour ago? Don't worry, I already sent a description to the guard, they'll have a poster of him up and running within a couple of hours." Katara paused.

"Wait, you didn't try to draw the picture for them?" She said. Sokka let out a caustic laugh.

"What good is my drawing skills? If I had made the picture they would be looking for a scarecrow or something of the sorts. Who knows, they might mistake Zuko for the guy." Sokka shook his head. "No, this time I left it to the professionals." He said, looking down at his book and turning the page. Katara shook herself.

"Well, good for you for finally admitting your faults but that isn't why we're here." She said. Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, you're the one's that brought it up." He said.

"Sokka, focus!" Said Aang, losing his patience. Sokka closed the book, setting it on the table next to him. He looked up at Aang, folding his hands in his lap and giving his friend his undivided attention.

"Alright, what is it you need my help with?" He said.

"Alright." Said Aang, relieved that he finally got to start. "So, when I was sitting there telling you guys about Joshua I noticed that Ty-Lee and Mai seemed rather attentive once I had mentioned that the guy had blonde hair. After you guys had left I found a piece of paper in my hand with her name on it. Since he had told me that he was going to point me in the right direction about Jack I figured that Ty-Lee must know more than she's letting on."

"As hard as that is to believe." Muttered Katara. Aang shot her a look then continued on with his story.

"When Katara and I went to confront her she sat there being all evasive, but we did manage to get her to slip up. When I asked her about Joshua she said that she knew nothing about Jack's friend, then she ran off." Finished Aang, looking at Sokka with an excited smile. Sokka stroked his chin for a moment, thinking about what he had said.

"So, you think that Ty-Lee knows more than she's letting on, and you want me to get it out of her." He said, summing it up. Aang nodded his head eagerly.

"We need the plan guy." Said Katara, stroking his pride a little. Sokka perked up at being called the plan guy again. He smiled, nodding his head.

"Alright, alright. Don't worry about it, the plan guy is on it." He said, standing up and slicking his hair back. He cracked his neck and left the room, leaving Aang and Katara to exchange a quick giggle.

They followed him out into the hall, walking a little behind him as he sauntered over to Ty-Lee's room. They had no clue as to what he was planning on doing, but hopefully it would work.

Coming up to her room, he fixed his shirt, straightening it out. Looking over at Aang and Katara he held up a hand, motioning for them to stay away and out of sight. They obliged, making their way behind a pillar across the hall. Once they were out of sight Sokka knocked on the door, putting on his most charming face. After a few moments the door opened hesitantly, Ty-Lee's face poking out from the crack.

"Who is it?" She asked. Sokka gave her a friendly smile.

"Hey, it's me, Sokka. I was just wondering if you could clear something up for me." He said. Ty-Lee opened the door wider, a bit flustered by his presence.

"Ohh, hey, uhm, how are you? I mean how can I help you?" She said, her cheeks blushing. Sokka leaned on a post, trying to look cool. Katara and Aang had to keep themselves from laughing.

"Well, I'm just a little confused, and I figured that you'd probably be the best person to see, you know, you're pretty good with stuff like this." He said. Ty-Lee opened the door all the way, stepping out.

"Stuff like what?" She asked. Sokka stood straight up.

"You know, smart stuff. I mean, you were the one coming up with the plans in the group right? I always thought so." He said, laying on the suave. Ty-Lee turned as red as a beet.

"Well, actually it was Azula who came up with most of the stuff." She said.

"But certainly you added a lot of the good stuff, right? Interjected Sokka. Ty-Lee brushed her braid back, a shy smile on her face.

"Well, I did help on occasion." She said, twiddling with her fingers. Sokka smiled.

"I thought so. That means that you can help me out." He said. Ty-Lee nodded her head, then realized she should probably say something.

"Ya, yes, I can really, uhm, I mean definitely help you out, with your problem." She fumbled. Sokka gave her a reassuring smile. Aang watched, trying to not feel a pang of guilt as he saw Sokka play on her emotions. It really was not all that fair for Ty-Lee, as Sokka was already in a relationship, but he really did want the information, and Sokka was doing such a great job, he was just going to have to let it play out.

"Well." Said Sokka, leaning back up against the pillar. "It's just this thing with Aang, and that guy who was in here. I was sitting there listening to Aang, and then I noticed you. I saw you sitting there staring at him with those big, intelligent eyes and I saw a spark in there. I don't know how much information you were rooting through in that half second but I knew it was a lot, so I thought that maybe you could help fill me in on the details of this Joshua guy." He said, laying the compliments on thick. Ty-Lee giggled, shifting on her feet.

"Well, I'm not really supposed to talk about it." She started. Sokka clicked his tongue.

"Ohh, come on, you can tell me. I mean, I know that you've already got this under control, but it would really just put my mind at ease if you'd let me in on the secret." He said, giving her his puppy eyes. Ty-Lee melted, not able to resist his cunning charm. She looked down the hall both ways, then leaned in close.

"Alright." She whispered, just loud enough for the two eavesdroppers to hear from across the hall.

"Joshua is an old friend of ours, and Jack's. When we were younger we…" Ty-Lee was cut off by Mai, storming down the hall at her. Immediately her countenance fell as she took a couple of steps back towards her room. Mai marched straight at Sokka, gave him a gruff shove and grabbed Ty-Lee, bringing her into the room and slamming the door shut. She opened the door again to yell something real quick.

"Get, all of you!" She called out, slamming the door again. Sokka snapped his fingers, so close to getting it out of her. Katara and Aang came out from around the pillar, their faces downcast. Sokka walked over to them, putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, what now?" He said. They sat and thought for a moment, looking back at the door.

"Well, we could always try the direct approach." Said Katara. She looked over at Aang, then at Sokka, who both shrugged their shoulders. Turning back around, she went up to the door, and pounded on it.

* * *

"Joshua, you're alive?" Joshua frowned.

"What, you thought I was dead? Really, is that why you never came looking for me after you broke out?" Jack shook his head, shocked to see him here.

"No, that wasn't it Josh, I was just a bit…busy with other things." He said, looking askance at Azula. She stuck her tongue out at him. Joshua shook his head.

"Really, after all we've been through you decide to go play grab ass with Jemnile instead of coming after me?" Jack could feel Azula's frown behind him. She had never been very fond of her nickname.

"No, that's not it…" Started Jack.

"Then what was it?!" Demanded Joshua. "Because you sure as hell wasn't out to get her, I mean, she's still here. And I mean right here!" He yelled, pointing a finger behind him at Azula. Jack turned around to see Azula's smirking face. She was in a room with two people who rightly had the motivation to kill her, and yet she was still playing her hand with that smug look on her face. Jack shook his head. She was lucky he was on her side, for the moment. He held up his hands, trying to calm Joshua down.

"Josh, look, I know that you've been through a lot. Believe me, we've both have. But you need to take a second to think about all of this, about how it used to be." Said Jack. Joshua laughed.

"Are you kidding me kid? Really, what do you think I've been doing for the past three years locked up in the bubbler? I sure as hell wasn't playing patty-cake with the inmates if that was what you were thinking. No, most of the time I was in solitary." He said. "I even got a couple of lovely souvenirs while I was there." He said, turning to let Jack see his brands. Jack grimaced, feeling the rage build inside of him. He let out a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

"Look, Josh, I know what she's done to us. It's horrible, believe me, I know. But we can't bring her back by taking it out on her." He said, pointing behind him at Azula, who was hopefully not sticking her tongue out at the moment. Joshua shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"You've got to be kidding me. Here I was thinking that you came in here every day to torture her, but instead you sitting here talking about your feelings and reminiscing about the good times? Are you kidding me? Holy damn, I'm in the looney house!" He screamed, turning around and throwing his arms up. Jack shifted his stance slightly, readying himself for an attack.

"How in the whole, good, wide world, can you sit here, and just let her live?" Asked Joshua, turning back around. "She deserves to die so many times over, I mean, we could torture her for the rest of our lives and still not get full retribution." He said. Jack shook his head slowly.

"Josh, it wasn't all her fault. Ozai had a hand in it as well." He said, watching his friend closely. Joshua jumped up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Damn Ozai and damn her!" He screamed, his eyes wild. "I don't give a damn whose idea it was, she was there, she was standing next to her, and for all I care she did it!" He cried, his hands glowing black with flames. "All the royal family has to pay, and they will. I'll burn there house to the ground and piss on the ashes, and anyone who gets in my way is going to burn with them." He said, his eyes zeroing in on Jack.

"Josh, don't do this. If you go down this path this path there may be no coming back. Believe me, I've done it, and there's no fulfillment down that way. Only forgiveness can bring you peace." He said, watching his friend. Joshua appeared to settle down some, slicking his hair back again and taking in a deep breath. He opened his eyes, staring at Jack with a cold, icy stare.

"You don't seem to understand kid, I don't want to have peace. My world was taken from me and burnt to a crisp, all I want to do is return the favor." He said, his hand moving behind his back.

"I had hoped that you would be on my side, and after everything I gathered about your actions over there I figured you were on my side, though you were messing things up pretty good. But hey, you didn't have me." He said with a laugh. Jack was not convinced.

"Look, I know that it's hard for you to take it out on her, after all you've been through, but I'm offering you a shot to let go of all that crap and make a real difference in the world." He said, holding his hand out to Jack. Azula perked up, watching the two closely as her fate hung in the balance. Jack turned around and looked back at her, ambivalence flashing through his eyes. She stared back at him, not with austerity, nor pleading, but just simple resignation. Whether or not that was her play Jack did not know, but it worked, he could not turn on her, not after everything that had happened. He turned back to Joshua, shaking his head slowly. Joshua nodded his head, bringing his hand back.

"Well, I'm sorry that you feel that way kid." He said, his other hand coming back around from behind his back.

"I prepared for an eventuality such as this; though I really thought it wasn't going to be necessary." He said, tossing the items to the floor at Jack's feet. They glinted of gold as they fell through the air, clattering with a metallic ring as they hit the stone. He looked down, recognizing the items.

"Suki's fan-blades." He muttered. He looked back up at Joshua.

"What have you done to her?!" He demanded, taking a step forward. Joshua held up a hand.

"Whoa there little buddy! You ain't getting nothing from me if you attack me. I haven't done anything to her, yet, but I can't guarantee how long she'll last." Jack froze, realizing what this meant.

"I have to choose." He said. Joshua gave him a sinister smile.

"That a boy, way to catch on! Look who's the fast learner!" He mocked, clapping his hands together.

"You can either save your little friend there, or you can keep trying to protect that nut-job, it's real simple." He said.

"Don't listen to him, he probably just stole them out of her room!" Yelled Azula. Jack turned around, startled. So far in the conversation she had not interrupted, save with a smirk.

"That may be so, but what if it is true, what then? Are you really willing to risk her life based on what she has to say? When has she ever told the truth?" Countered Joshua, playing her objection perfectly.

"Besides." Said Joshua. "I'm not like you Azula, I don't lie to my best friend." He said, giving Jack a friendly smile. Jack swallowed hard. He looked between Azula and the fan-blades. Was it truly fair for him to risk her life to protect Azula, after all that Suki had done to help them? He shook his head, his mind beginning to hurt. He felt that no matter which path he chose he was bound to lose this one. He looked back up at Azula.

"I will find you." He said. She took a couple of steps forward, her eyes wide.

"You can't leave me with him!" She said, grabbing unto his sleeve. Her hand trembled slightly, fear seizing hold of her. She was truly terrified, perhaps for the first time in her life. Jack tried to keep control of himself, knowing that he had to remain strong in order to get a victory from this.

"I'm sorry Jemnile." He said softly. Azula twitched, a battle raging in her mind. Her grip on his arm tightened, her nails digging into his flesh, but she ended up relinquishing her grasp, taking a step back, her eyes calming.

"Fine, I can take care of myself." She said, her lips quivering. Jack turned back around, facing Joshua's overjoyed face.

"Alright, how is this going to work?" He asked. Joshua stepped forward, putting a hand on his neck.

"You'll wake up with what you want." Said Joshua simply. A small prick made Jack wince. He stepped back out of Joshua's reach only to have the world around him spin. Lightning and fire lit up his vision, peals of thunder echoing in the room. The images blurred into a single storm of brilliant colors, then he hit the ground, unconscious.


	5. Past Nightmares, Present Sorrows

**Chapter V**

Everyone sat in Ty-Lee's room, staring at each other. Katara had forced her way into the room and made her demand. Now Mai sat to the side, her back turned to them as she mulled it over. It turns out that she had come back because she thought that she could not trust Ty-Lee along with the others; of course she had been right.

Ty-Lee stood next to her, looking at her toes and trying to avoid looking over at Sokka, having realized what he had been playing at. Katara still stood with her arms crossed, staring at Mai's back. Sokka and Aang stood next to each other, exchanging a quick, uncomfortable glance. Finally, Mai turned around.

"No." She said simply, pointing out of her room, indicating that they should leave. Aang and Sokka shrugged their shoulders and started out, but Katara held firm.

"That's not good enough anymore. We aren't just going to settle for no, are we?" She said. Sokka and Aang froze, realizing that they were being drawn in on the conversation. Sokka sighed, turning back around.

"You know sis, they probably have this under control, no big deal. I think that I'm just going to go back to my book." He said, turning and trying to make his way out of the door. Katara turned on him.

"What do you mean no big deal? That nut knocked Aang unconscious!" She yelled. Sokka stopped, sighing.

"It's not that hard." Said Sokka. Katara scowled at him.

"Alright, alright." Said Sokka, putting his hands up. "I just think that if these two don't want to tell us what's up then it's none of our business. It's their dirty past, let them keep it." He said. Katara shook her head.

"But this isn't the past, this is now! It happened only an hour ago! We need to know about him! And." She said, whirling back on Mai. "We're not leaving until we get some answers!" Aang came back and stood by Katara, doing his best to look assertive.

"Good luck getting answers from me." Said Mai, yawning.

"You are so selfish, you know that!? Why in the world can't you think of us for a moment? I bet that if Azula hadn't went nuts you would still be at her side helping her out." Said Katara. Mai glared at her.

"Look her sweet-cakes. I changed sides regardless of Azula. I did the right thing on my own, regardless of what Azula thought or was acting like." She said. Katara threw up her hands in mockery.

"Ohh, pardon me. Ms. Virtuous here says she's a saint just because she helped her boyfriend out. Big whoop." She finished. Mai started to become angry.

"Listen here snow-peasant. Just because I'm not incompetent enough to stand directly in front of a bolt of lightning doesn't make me evil." She said. Sokka turned, coming to his sister's defense.

"Hey. Just because we're not a bunch of pompous nobles doesn't mean we don't know what we're talking about. Look who won the war?" He said. The conversation erupted from there. Yelling and screaming was done by both sides. Aang hopped in after Mai made a somewhat rude insinuation about Katara's dating life. Tempers began to flare, and soon it seemed as if blows were going to be exchanged, but Ty-Lee had had enough. The noise around her was too chaotic, and seeing her friends break apart over an old nightmare just did not seem fitting, so she did the one thing she knew would quiet everyone down, she screamed.

"We grew up with them!" She cried at the tops of her lungs. The conversation halted in an instant, all eyes turning to her. Mai covered her face with a gloved hand, groaning. She knew that the gig was up. Sokka came up to Ty-Lee, stunned.

"What did you say?" He asked. Ty-Lee shifted on her feet, nervous with everyone staring at her.

"We grew up with them, both of them; Jack and Joshua." She said softly. Aang and Katara looked at each other.

"You grew up with them, what does that mean exactly?" Asked Katara. Ty-Lee opened her mouth, then shut it, not feeling so confident about her plan anymore. Mai shook her head, determining that it was time to spill it all, with or without his permission.

"We were all childhood friends. We grew up together, played together, stuff like that." She said. Sokka, Aang, and Katara now turned to her.

"Wait, if you were friends, then what in the world happened? Who is Jack? And why in the world did Joshua attack Aang?" Asked Katara. Mai pinched her nose.

"Why don't you all just sit down, I'll tell you the story from the beginning, maybe then you'll understand this all better." She said. The others looked at each other for a moment, then sat down, Aang missing a seat all together and landing on the floor. He got up and sat next to Katara. Mai shook her head.

"It all started when we were eight years old, right before Zuko's mom committed treason to protect him. We were playing in the garden, if you could call it that, when we heard something on the other side of the wall. Azula said that we should go check it out, and since what she said went, we all went over to the wall. We climbed up on one of the trees close to the wall and hopped on, looking over to see what was making the noise. It turned out that it was two boys, playing some game with firebending. I don't even remember how it worked, but they were just sitting there, out in the back street, playing away. Azula was particular taken with one of them, Jack, and so immediately decided that we should hop down and introduce ourselves. Once again there wasn't much to say on it, as whatever Azula wanted to do we all did, so we jumped down and went over to them. To make a long story short it turned out that they were street rats. They lived with Joshua's older sister, Amy, who worked in a tea shop to support them. Jack wasn't related to them, but he had no parents, and since Joshua did not either they had bonded quickly, becoming best friends. Azula ended up butting in on their game and demanding that they let her play. Joshua laughed, thinking that a girl couldn't do it, but Jack wanted to let her try. They let her play, and when she showed them what she could do they were impressed and invited her to play with them in their slum area. Apparently they frequently got kicked out of the royal streets by the guards, so it would just be easier if they all went back to where they lived. Of course she wanted to, but there was no way that her mother would let her. So, instead, she ended up talking her parents into bringing the boys to the palace. How that had went over I had no clue, but I just knew that after that every time I came over they were there, doing something or the other, usually firebending games. She liked to play with them more because they could actually firebend, unlike Zuko." Mai sighed, shaking her head at the memories.

"If you guys all grew up together, what happened?" Asked Aang. Mai looked out the window at the raging storm, then back at the others. She actually seemed sad.

"Diamondbending happened." She said simply. "I don't know how, or when, but all I do know is that when she found out about it she went straight to her father, just like any good girl would. You see, Diamondbenders used to be a more common thing in the past but…" Aang held up his hand, interrupting her.

"We already know about this. I was there when the last ones were executed, or so I thought, until I met Jack." He said. Mai did not seem surprised. Shrugging her shoulders she continued on with her story.

"Well, unfortunately, Ozai knew about them as well. He knew of their potential and what they could do. Having a diamondbender in your army, it was the ultimate weapon. It was almost like having the avatar on your side, only this one wasn't constrained by moral obligations." Sokka shook his head.

"What did they do when they found out, they didn't join him did they?" Mai shook her head.

"No. When Azula told them, they were afraid, and they ran and hid. They were fire-nation, but they didn't believe in the war effort. Amy had taught them that what the fire-nation was doing was wrong. So when Azula told them what her father had in mind they ran away. Joshua hid Jack, taking him away with him to who knows where. We were thirteen at the time."

"So what did Azula do?" Asked Katara. Mai glared at her.

"Azula didn't do anything!" She snapped. "That's something that I don't think either of them understands, or you guys. It was all Ozai's idea." Said Mai, bitterness in her voice. Katara softened, seeing how much it hurt Mai to talk about this.

"Sorry, I just assumed. So, what did Ozai do?" She asked. Mai ran a gloved hand past her nose.

"They took Amy and scheduled a public execution for her." She said, throwing her hands up. "They put fliers up everywhere. It said that they had captured an earth-kingdom spy, though she readily showed them that she could firebend." Added Mia with a snort.

"It said that unless her accomplices came out of hiding she would be executed, and her body put on display. I don't know what was running through their heads as the day approached, all I know was that nothing happened. The day came, and the drums started beating, when suddenly they appeared out of nowhere. They jumped off of the roof, coming right inside the courtyard. They tried their best, they really did; Joshua even got close, but there were just too many of them, and they were too young." Aang raised an eyebrow.

"They're not you Aang, it's not like they had the avatar state when they made a mistake." Said Mai, noticing his look. She shook her head, the dreadful memory rushing through her head.

"They were captured, and in the end, after it was all said and done, they killed Amy anyways, just to try and break them. They killed her, and Azula was standing right next to her. After that they threw the boys in two separate prisons. One here in the fire-nation, the other in fire-nation controlled earth-kingdom territory. Ozai tasked Zuko and Azula with breaking them and turning them to our side, but soon after that the thing with Zuko happened, and he was banished, leaving Azula alone to do the job. At first she was harsh on both of them; she felt as if they had betrayed her by running away. In the end though she could never break them. No matter what she did to them they would not break, and so she ended up relenting, leaving them be. After all of it, all she did was make them hate her more." Finished Mai, staring off. Sokka shook his head.

"I can't believe it. All this time, he was fire-nation? Not only was he fire-nation, but he grew up with you guys!?" He yelled, standing up.

"Why in the world didn't Zuko say anything to us?" Asked Katara. Mai shrugged her shoulders, recapturing her usual apathetic nature.

"He probably didn't want to talk about it. He did shoot Jack in the back at Ba Sin Sey. Besides, did you ever ask him about it?" The three looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"Still, why didn't either of you tell us?" Asked Aang. "We're all on the same side now." He said.

"He told us not to tell you." Replied Mai. "He said that he was going to tell you when he was ready. He just didn't know how you would take it." She said. Sokka shook his head.

"He was right to fear our reactions." He said, anger burning in his chest.

"Wait." Said Katara. "I thought he had amnesia?" She said. Mai lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, he seems perfectly fine to me, aside from a nervous twitch, but hey, three years of torture can do that to you." She said.

"He lied to us." Said Sokka, bitterness seeping into his voice. Aang shook his head.

"Alright, so, Jack isn't who he said he was, or at least he's more than what he led us to believe, but that's kinda beside the point at the moment. We need to focus on this Joshua guy; if I were to guess I'd say that he was out to get all of you guys who had a hand in it, though Azula must be at the top of his list." Said Aang. Mai nodded her head.

"That about sums it up. He mostly blames Azula, as he always blamed her for everything, but I'm pretty sure that he'll come after all of us. It's only a matter of time." She said, resigned.

"He's not stable. I don't think he's ever been, but at least back then he had his sister to keep him in check, but now." Mai shook her head. "He's a mad man, pure and simple. This guy is going to burn the world to the ground in order to get at us, and I don't know if we can stop him." She continued. Katara snorted.

"Please, just because you can't handle this guy doesn't mean that we'll have a problem with him as well. What's one more firebender?" She said, looking at Aang and Sokka who readily nodded their agreement. Ty-Lee stepped in.

"You don't get it, do you? Where do you think Jack learned it from? It just didn't pop into his head one day." She said. Sokka looked at her.

"What are you saying?"

"Jack isn't the real diamondbender." Said Mai. "Joshua is. He learned from his sister's books that were passed on to her from her parents and their grandparents before that. Jack just happened to be one as well, but Joshua is the real deal. And since he broke out of prison he probably has become even more powerful than ever. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he found himself a bending master for each element. None of us are safe while he's out of prison." She said. A thought suddenly occurred to Sokka.

"Where's Suki?"

* * *

His mind was groggy, slow, as if he was slogging through a bog. He tried pulling himself out, but he could not even remember why he wanted to be awake. It was so relaxing sitting there, letting his mind be overcome by the strange visions that danced before him; why should he get up? It was too hard to wake up, he might as well just sit here and let his body rest, that way he had more energy when he went after Joshua.

His eyes fluttered open at the thought. Joshua.

Standing up, he looked about the room, his mind reeling from whatever Joshua had injected him with. He stumbled and fell against the wall, a pungent odor meeting him. Opening his eyes again he looked at the wall, noticing the black scorch marks. For a moment they seemed to be dripping black ooze, but after he accidently hit his head against the marks his mind cleared up, and the black ooze disappeared.

Jack stood up, using the wall to steady himself. He had to focus, somebody's life was at stake, he just could not remember whose. Was it Azula's? Or was it his own? Aang's? He rammed his head against the wall once more just for good measure. Pain flared up, clearing his head.

No, it was not Azula, it was Suki. The sound of his feet hitting her fan-blades below him only reconfirmed that fact. Joshua had done something to her, but what? And where was she?

Jack blinked, trying to focus his mind. Had Joshua told him and now he had just forgot? No, that was not it. Joshua had told him that he would wake up with the information that he wanted.

Quickly he looked around him, trying to find some clue or note that would tell him where to go. The whole cell was scorched and black. Apparently Azula had not gone easily. Mounds of earth were everywhere, along with some ice shards. In such a close space she must have given him a run for his money. Joshua was good but he relied on wide open spaces in order to move about at a lightning speed. Here, inside a tight, confined cell, there was not a lot of places that he could move to, aside from outside the cell.

Jack shook his head. He had to focus! What in the world was he looking for? Did Joshua even leave him a note, or was he lying to him? That did not sound like Joshua, but three years in prison can really change how you act.

As time went on and Jack still could not find anything he became aggravated. Yelling he punched the wall, feeling as if he had been played by his old friend. The wall gave way as he hit it, billowing out as his fist made contact. That's when he noticed the little piece of paper in his hand. Rolling his eyes he opened his hand, looking at the note. A little note was scrawled across it.

_Good Ol Jacky boy_

_Won't you come with me to that _

_Nice Ol cherry tree_

Jack shook his head. Joshua had always been bad at haikus, but this was plain stupid. Why could he not just say that Suki was at the cherry tree? Or even just that she was in the royal garden? What was the point of writing a pathetic haiku? Realizing that Suki was probably in danger he shook himself out of the thought. He did not have time to ponder his friend's poor haiku writing abilities, someone's life was at stake.

Turning, Jack made his way out of the cell, running at a dead sprint. He passed through the halls, the other prisoners louder than normal. They hooted and hollered as he passed by. Shrill screeches deafened him as they cried out, some of them actually writhing in pain. It seemed as if the whole prison had decided to go from just plain nuts to pure psycho with Joshua's arrival. He wondered why it was that no guards were trying to calm them down, but when he reached the first gate he found out why. They were all dead.

He bent down on a knee, checking for a pulse that he knew he was not going to find. The body was shredded, blood splattered everywhere. The guard's intestines seemed to be on the outside of his stomach, the rib cage bowed outwards, puncturing through the chest. Jack tried to not throw up, but it was a difficult task. It seemed as if the body had exploded from the inside out. He shook his head. How in the world had Joshua done this?

Moving on he slipped on the mixture of blood and intestinal fluid that lay on the stone. He caught himself before hitting the ground, taking his time to properly make his way through the slick liquid before taking off at a run.

As he passed by the other gates it was all the same story. They were either blown up from the inside out, or else they were shredded by what could have only been diamond blades. Body parts lay all over, blood and other bodily fluids coating the path. Once he slipped, falling into a pool of blood that had formed on the ground. He splashed in it, luckily keeping his face from coming into contact with it by bracing himself with his hands, which only meant that his hands and pants were now covered in blood.

He passed by more and more dead bodies, signs of resistance apparent, but it must have been futile. No one had made it. It was a waste of time to check for pulses, as some of the guards did not even have heads attached to their necks. Jack shook his head, a ghastly odor rising from the bodies as he continued on.

By the time he reached the main entry he was ready to puke. However, when he saw what lay before him, he just got it over with and threw up right then and there. Over fifteen bodies, or what was left of them, littered the ground. Blood was splattered everywhere, scorch marks lining the walls. Heads lay splayed about, some attached to their bodies, others severed, while some had just been pulverized. Tears leapt into his eyes as he realized that it was his old friend that had done all of this. Whatever Azula had done to him had worked. Joshua had never been capable of doing such a thing. Sure he had a temper, but he had generally kept it under control, and he had always looked out for Jack.

But now, now he was a mad man. He had slaughtered everyone that had gotten in his way just to get at Azula. Terror seized hold of him as he began to imagine what Joshua would do to Azula now that he had her. There was no telling whether or not they would be able to identify the body by the time they got to her, if they ever found her.

Shaking himself, Jack forced himself to walk across the main hall, keeping his eyes focused on the exit. Slowly, one foot at a time, he crossed the massacre, his boots splashing in what could only be the blood of the victims. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the door. Shoving it to he went out to find the elements raging, and a four man patrol. The guards were coming up to the prison, no doubt wondering why it was that they had missed a scheduled check in. When they saw Jack they seemed relieved. He knew a couple of them, they were good men, very helpful. One of them, Tanjin, came up to him, hesitating when he saw the blood on Jack's hands.

"Sir?" He said slowly, his hand falling to his sword. Jack shook his head, his throat tied in a knot. Tanjin looked behind him, trying to see into the prison.

"What happened?" He asked. Jack took in a deep settling breath, knowing that he had to keep it together.

"Contact fire-lord Zuko. Tell him that he must come back at once, black priority." Tanjin looked at Jack, shocked.

"Black priority?" He said, confused. Jack continued on.

"Tell him simply that Joshua is back." Jack looked over his shoulder at the mess behind him.

"Someone has to retrieve those bodies." He said. "They deserve a proper funeral." Tanjin came up beside him, his body shaking as he looked inside. The guard went off to the side, puking his guts out. The other guards came up, two more going off to throw up. The last one, an old war veteran, merely shook his head after looking in.

"What the devil happened?" He asked, looking at Jack. Jack shook his head.

"I wish I knew." He said, looking back once more.

"I need to get back to the palace as soon as possible; it's a matter of life and death." He said. The older man nodded his head.

"Take one of the komodo-rhinos, we'll have to stay to start an investigation anyways." He said. Jack looked back at him.

"You don't want to question me?" He asked. The old vet shook his head, wispy white hair fluttering on his head.

"Believe me kid, I can tell when someone's done something, and you sure as hell didn't. Get out of here, I doubt that you want to watch as we drag these bodies out." He said. Jack shook his head, thanking the old guard and making his way down to the komodo-rhinos, hoping that he was not too late.

* * *

Sokka wondered about the halls, Aang right beside him. After his declaration they had split up, girls and boys. They had no clue whether or not Suki was actually in danger, or if Joshua was even around and about, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Sokka and Aang had already checked Suki's room and the kitchen. They had not seen a sign of her. Even the servants seemed not to know where she was. None of them had seen her since early this morning.

"You know, she might have gone to the market." Said Aang. Sokka shook his head.

"In weather like this?" He said. Aang dropped his eyes, hurt at having his idea shot down. Sokka came to a stop, sighing.

"If we don't find her soon then we'll head off to the market, alright?" He said, turning back around and moving down the hall. Aang followed him closely, poking his head in a few rooms as he passed them. Sokka called out her name, hoping to hear an irritated response, but instead just meeting silence. Picking the pace up the two began to jog down the halls, stopping in every doorway and looking in. Nothing. Everywhere they looked there was no sign of Suki.

Panic began to well up in Sokka's chest as he thought of losing yet another person he loved. He tried to shake himself, to tell himself he was just being paranoid, but he just could not shake off the feeling that once again he had failed. Aang seemed to pick up on the premonition. He looked at Sokka, then back around, his heart beginning to race.

"Do you think this Joshua guy is as dangerous as Mai and Ty-Lee made him out to be?" Asked Aang. Sokka came to a stop, catching his breath.

"Tell me this Aang, in all the times that those two girls chased us during the war, did you ever see them actually afraid?" He said. Aang shook his head.

"Ya, me neither. But Joshua, the real diamondbender, this guy makes them start shaking. It just isn't a good sign." Finished Sokka, realizing that he too was a bit afraid. He remembered some of the things that Jack had shown him, and they were impressive. But someone who had an actually mastery of the art. He shook his head. That was someone to be fearful of.

Sokka turned back down the hall, looking around.

"We aren't going to cover enough ground at this rate, we need to split up." He said. Aang shook his head.

"You heard what Mai said, we need to stick together." Sokka looked down the hall, then back at Aang. It seemed safe enough.

"Alright, tell you what we do. You go down that hall there, and I'll go down that way, then we'll meet up around the corner. Technically we're not splitting up because we'll still be in yelling distance and we'll meet up again." Said Sokka. Aang did not seem convinced.

"But what if you get taken out all quiet like." Said Aang. Sokka opened his mouth to speak, then paused.

"What do you mean me?" He said indignantly. Aang shrugged his shoulders.

"Just saying. I'm the avatar, so I can protect myself pretty well, but you, you're the boomerang guy. Not much you can do about a diamondbender." Said Aang, a slight grin on his face. Sokka shook his head.

"Geesh, this coming from the kid that was knocked out by this loon only an hour ago." He said, starting off down his hall. He pushed Aang down the other.

"We don't even know if this guy is even in the palace. More than likely he's out and about somewhere else." Called Sokka, yelling over his shoulder. Aang looked once more at Sokka, then ran down his hall, checking the doors as fast as he could. Sokka did likewise, coming up empty and meeting Aang around the corner, just like he had said.

"See." Said Sokka. "No problem." Aang smiled. They looked down the next set of halls.

"Same plan?" Asked Aang. Sokka nodded his head, and they took off once more. This time, when Sokka neared the end of the hall, he noticed something. The door to the garden seemed to be open slightly, though the wind should have blown it open all the way. Coming over to it he noticed that the ground was bent slightly out of shape, keeping the door from opening any wider. He looked out the window, trying to see out, but the bushes obscured most of his vision.

Grumbling, Sokka kicked at the door, trying to bust it down. It took him a few tries, luckily no one was watching him. He picked his way through the splinters, forcing his way through. Coming outside he was battered by a howling wind, leaves swept up by it, smacking him in the face. Spluttering, he smacked the leaves away from his mouth, starting at a jog down the path.

"Suki! Suki! Dang it woman, where are you!?" He called out, but his voice did not get far. The wind swept it away, bringing with it instead the peals of thunder. Sokka stopped, looking up at the sky. Bolts of lightning streaked from cloud to cloud. It made him a bit jumpy. Reminded him too much of Azula.

Shaking himself, Sokka kept moving down the path, looking from side to side and calling out Suki's name. He found nothing. There seemed to be nothing out in the garden, which meant he splintered the door for nothing. Looking around once more he called out her name, but the only response was a creaking noise from behind him.

Freezing, Sokka turned around, slowly. He looked in the direction of the noise, noticing the cherry tree that blocked his vision of the other side. Taking a tentative step forward the creak met him again. A shadow played at the ground next to the tree, moving in and out, in and out.

Sokka took in a deep breath, his body shaking. His blood had turned to ice and his will had vanished, but still he was compelled forward by some morbid feeling. He did not want to look around the tree, but he had to, there was no avoiding it. Every step closer brought another wave of terror that threatened to swallow him whole. He had never heard that noise before, nor had he any clue what the shadow was; the only thing he did know was that he had to look, though he did not want to.

He came up directly behind the tree, putting his hand against the smooth bark to steady himself. The noise had grown louder, but it was currently blurred out by a peal of thunder. His heart was thumping in his chest, and his palms were sweating, but he had to go on, he had to know what was on the other side of the tree. Taking in a deep breath, he moved to go around the tree, but his feet lay firmly planted in the ground, refusing to move. He looked down at them, a disappointing scowl on his face.

"Come on guys." He said, trying to muster up some bravado. "Let's just take a look real quick, it'll be all right." He said, reassuring himself. Taking a moment he decided to take out his boomerang, more of a comfort thing than actual protection, as the wind was liable to play havoc with it if he threw it. The sound of it clattering against the tree made him look at his shaking hands. He breathed out slowly.

"All right, time to do this." He muttered, stepping around the tree. His boomerang fell to the ground, its landing softened by the grass. He reached out a shaky hand, trying to process what was happening. Slowly he moved forward, shaking his head.

"No, no, no, no." He mumbled, retrieving his hand and putting it over his mouth. Tears burst into his eyes and fell down his cheeks as he tried to maintain control. He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. His whole body began to shake as he fell to his knees, sobs racking his entire body. He leaned forward, putting his face in his hands, crying into them. Shaking he looked back up, forcing himself to his feet. Anger overtook him as he reached out, both his hands trembling.

"No, no, no!" He cried, touching the body. It swung at his touch, the rope creaking as it moved the body back and forth. Suki's pale form hung from the tree, the rope digging into her neck and cutting the skin. Her pale blue lips sat below vacant eyes, void and lifeless. Sokka screamed at the top of his lungs, thunder and lightning striking above him.

"Noooooooooooooo!" He cried, falling to his knees once more. His hands trailed down Suki's dress, coming to rest on her feet, cold and bare. He sat there, sobbing violently, his purpose in life once again void and hallow. How long he sat there, who's to say, he did not notice the passing of time. A gnawing emptiness tugged at his soul. He was empty, used up, exhausted. His soul cried out but with no voice, he had not the words to express his sorrow, so instead he wailed out into the coming storm, wishing that death would find him soon and grant him solace.

Eventually he was found. Aang had noticed the broken door and had called out for help, the girls happening to be nearby. They had all made their way into the garden, calling out Sokka's name, but he did not hear them, so engulfed by his sorrow. They found him though, sitting at Suki's feet, tears rushing down his face. Katara saw Suki, then took Aang in her grasp, forcing his head into her chest.

"Don't look Aang, don't look. You don't want to remember her like this, not like this." She said, tears falling down her cheeks. Aang sobbed in her chest, knowing full well that Suki was gone. Ty-Lee turned away, sobbing into her arms. The only one that appeared to be unmoved was Mai. She came up to the body, a blank look on her face. Taking out a knife she reached up for the rope, but Sokka noticed

"No." He said, his voice hoarse and gruff. Mai moved out of the way as he stood up, wiping his tears away. He pulled out his own knife, reaching up with one hand to cut the rope while he held onto Suki with his other hand. In a second the rope snapped, her body falling into his arms. He dropped the knife to catch her. He lifted her up, his lips quivering as he stared into her face cold, blank face. He lifted up a shaky hand, closing her eyes. Slowly he made his way off, making back towards the palace, silent, save for the tears that fell down his face. The others followed him, trailing silently, only Mai stayed behind, looking around at the ground. She bent over and picked up Sokka's knife, sighing. The snap of a branch behind her made her spin around, knives poised at the ready. It was just Jack, his hands on his knees. He was sweaty, and out of breath.

"Suki…is she?" He started. Mai shook her head. Jack stood up running a hand through his hair. He let loose a strand of profanity, cursing at the skies and thrashing about. When he came back he fell to his knees, out of breath, and haggard. Mai looked at him, knowing that something else had happened.

"Where's Azula?" She asked. Jack looked up at her, tears brimming in his eyes. Slowly he shook his head. Mai drew in a breath, then walked away, her knives gripped tightly in her hands. Jack sat outside, the rain beginning to fall down on him. He had failed.


	6. The Hunt Begins

**Chapter VI**

Zuko sat atop Appa, navigating the shaggy beast through the storm. Lightning flashed across the sky, startling the poor creature and irritating Zuko. Aang had told him that he was frozen in ice while riding through a storm; that probably explained why Appa was fighting his every command. All Appa wanted to do was to go to ground, but Zuko kept him up, pulling hard on the reins. Toph sat in the back, huddled up in blankets and his jacket, soaked to the bone and not happy at all.

After setting off from Goaling Toph had been teary eyed but happy. Her relationship with her parents was finally going in a positive direction, at least with her mother. They had made up wonderfully, and Zuko could not help but feel proud about what he had done. He had screwed everything up so bad that he could not see top from bottom, but then he had rolled up his sleeves, put his know how to it, and fixed everything. It really was rather ingenious. He would have to tell Sokka about his strategy when he got back, he would be impressed.

A streak of lightning in front of him brought him out of his thoughts. He pulled hard on the reigns, diving off to the left, a thunderous clap deafening them. He could hear Toph scream as they plummeted downwards, one of the few scenarios where Toph would actually scream aloud out of fear. With the wind rippling in his face he tried pulling up on the reins but Appa would not respond. The stubborn beast continued to hurdle straight to the ground, seeking the nearest refugee he could.

Zuko gritted his teeth, wrapping the reins around his hands and jerking hard, pulling the Bison's head away from the ground. Grudgingly Appa abided, slowly pulling up and leveling out. Zuko could hear Toph thrashing around in the back.

"What the devil are you trying to pull Sparky? First you fly right into a bolt of lightning, then you drop us like we're dead weight! Are you trying to kill us?!" Zuko could barely hear Toph over the roaring wind and thunderous claps of lightning.

"I'm not trying to fly into the lightning Toph!" He yelled back over his shoulder, keeping his eyes peeled. He squinted down below them, noticing that they were very close to the ground; hopefully the Bison would not feel the need to pull out another suicide dive, as they would either crash headlong into the ground or the beast would just fall asleep as soon as he hit the ground.

Looking back up Zuko noticed a flash of light, heading directly at him. Out of instinct he let go of the reins, making a fluid movement and channeling the lightning through his body and out his fingertips, away back in the sky. Thunder echoed out of his hands, and Appa decided that he had had enough, taking them straight down to the ground, whether Zuko wanted it or not.

Turning back around to the Bison, Zuko grabbed the reins and pulled hard.

"We're almost back your furry blob! Keep moving!" He yelled, trying to force the beast up, but with no use. Appa landed on the ground and laid there, seeming to be unware of the rain pelting him. Zuko moved up to the beast's head.

"Come on! Yip yip dang it!" He said, stepping on Appa's head. The beast growled and shook him off, throwing him into the mud on the ground. Zuko stood up, his ire quickly rising. He was in no mood for playing around in the mud.

"Appa, my friend, can you please take us the rest of the way back to the palace?" He said through gritted teeth. The shaggy beast peeked open an eye, groaning.

"Yes, I know there's thunder and lighting, but it won't hurt you, I promise. I'll just channel it away." Replied Zuko, hoping that Appa had actually meant something about the storm and not about being hungry. The beast seemed unconvinced. It growled at him again, both eyes open.

"Come on Appa, you'd do it for Aang." Said Zuko, trying to persuade him. Appa frowned at him. Slowly the beast pushed itself to its feet. Zuko grinned.

"Diplomacy wins the day." He said, getting back on. Toph sat huddled beneath their jackets, hiding from the rain as best she could.

"You done playing in the mud?" She asked. Zuko frowned.

"I wasn't down there by choice you know." He replied. Toph snorted.

"Whatever sparky, just get us out of here." She said, drawing in her wet jackets closer to her body. Zuko huffed out some puffs of fire, keeping his body warm.

"Alright Appa, yip yip." He said, grabbing firmly onto the reins. The shaggy beast growled beneath him, but obliged, surging off of the ground and back towards the palace. The trio managed to make it to the palace in one peace roughly an hour later, avoiding the worse of the lightning. After Zuko and Toph had put Appa back in his stable, especially commissioned by Zuko for whenever Aang was to visit, they made their way back to the palace, rushing through the rain.

As they went Toph kicked at the ground, making a little rock pop up and trip Zuko. He fell with a cry into a puddle of water. Toph laughed as she ran past, only to have her foot caught by Zuko. Soon the pair were rolling around in the rain, getting absolutely soaked and enjoying every moment of it. It was strange how a moment of childish fun could reverse an entirely sour experience.

After they finally had their fill of fun, the two got up and made their way inside. With the doors had clanging shut behind them, Zuko dropped his soaking wet coat on the ground. Toph followed suit, and decided that she could also make do without her shirt, leaving only a tight, green wrap, covering her chest. Zuko blushed.

"What's up sparky, your heart rate just spiked?" Asked Toph, walking ahead of Zuko. Zuko swallowed hard.

"Nothing, I just thought how creepy it was with no one around." Said Zuko. He passed, realizing the truth of the words that he spoke. He looked around, noticing the emptiness of the palace. There was no one, and no noise for that matter. It was unsettling.

"Where is everyone?" Asked Zuko. The guards were not at their posts, neither at the doors nor at the stable.

Toph stopped, taking a moment to look around with her feet sight, or at least that is what he liked to call it. She turned back to him.

"Everyone is over in the dining room, other than that I don't see any guards." She said. Zuko frowned. He did not like what was happening.

Following Toph, he made his way over to the dining room, stopping right outside to lean up against the door. Everything was silent behind it. He turned back to Toph.

"Are they still alive?" He whispered. Toph chuckled.

"Ya sparky, they're just all sitting there." She said. Her voice dropped a little. "Well, at least all of them but Sokka and Suki, but I could guess what those two are off doing." She finished, her mirth quickly dying. Zuko put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which she did not brush off. After a moment she turned back to the door, throwing it open with a vicious shove.

"Sugar Queen, I'm home!" She called out, strolling into the room. Everyone jumped, a couple of them taking offensive stances. Zuko noticed the glint of Mai's knives as they disappeared back into her sleeves. Toph raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you guys? Why are you so jumpy?" Katara rushed over to Toph, giving her a hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said, her voice choking with emotion. Zuko noticed that her eyes, along with almost everyone else's, were red and puffy. They had been crying. Something was deadly wrong.

Toph drew back away from Katara.

"Easy there Katara, I'm fine. The storm wasn't too bad. Sparky here just had to redirect a bolt or two, but other than that the trip was smooth." She said. Zuko almost snorted. Sure it was a smooth trip for her, she was the one underneath the jackets. A tear crawled down Katara's cheek, dripping on the ground. Zuko felt a knot developing in his throat. Something was definitely wrong.

"Katara, what's going on?" He asked. Katara shook her head. Toph tensed up, the fellness of the situation settling in.

"Where's Sokka?" She asked, her voice hesitant. Katara opened her mouth, but said nothing. Toph stepped up, grabbing her by the arm.

"Katara! Where's Sokka!?" She demanded. Jack stood up from the table, walking over.

"Sokka's okay Toph, don't worry." Said Jack, placing a hand on her shoulder. Toph whirled around at him.

"Then why are you guys all acting like someone died? What the heck's the matter?" She demanded. Jack looked over at Zuko.

"I guess you didn't get the message?" Asked Jack. Zuko shook his head.

"I wasn't getting anything in this storm." He responded, jabbing his thumb behind him. Jack nodded his head.

"Ya, I figured you wouldn't." Said Jack, stroking his chin. His hands shook slightly as he paced around, searching for the words to say. Toph rolled her fingers into fists, the bones creaking as she lost her patience.

"What's going on?" She asked through gritted teeth. Jack sighed, his hands falling down to his sides.

"Suki's dead." Said Jack simply. Zuko blinked. Dead? Dead how?

"What do you mean she's dead?" He asked. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"Dead, departed, no longer with us, kicked the bucket, bit the big one, stone cold and six feet under." Responded Jack. Katara hit him.

"You don't have to be so cold about it." She said, walking back over to the table. Jack merely shrugged his shoulders again.

"This is how I deal with situations like this." Said Jack under his breath. Toph stood still, her chest rising and falling as she was contemplating what this meant for her. Zuko could not help but think that she was weighing her odds of being with Sokka now that Suki was out of the picture. He shook his head. No, she would not be that cruel, she was probably trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Suki was now no longer with them. They had been friends. He froze. Suki was dead?

"Suki's dead? How? What happened?" He asked, still not grasping the reality of the situation. He noticed Toph's small frame making its way slowly over to a chair, sitting down with her head bowed low, her hair covering her eyes. He turned to Jack, who was biting at the inside of his cheek.

"Well…" Started Jack, trailing off. Katara turned on him, yelling at him from where she sat.

"Go ahead Jack, go ahead. Why don't you tell him?" Her voice was hoarse and hard. Her cheeks brunt red with anger.

"Tell me what?" Asked Zuko, befuddled. He watched as Katara stared intently at Jack, animosity sparking in the air.

"Go ahead Jack." Said Katara, spitting his name out with disdain in her voice, drawing out the syllables. She stood up, her body shaking.

"Why don't you tell him how your old friend came over and hung Suki out in the garden? Or better yet, why don't you tell him about how he butchered the guards at the prison, knocked you out, and kidnapped his sister!" Yelled Katara, pointing a finger. Zuko realized that the finger was pointing over at him. His heart jumped in his chest.

"Wait, what?! What happened to Azula!?" He demanded. Katara held a hand out to Jack.

"Well, go ahead, we're all listening, Fire-brat." Spat Katara, sitting back down. The reality of the situation finally hit Zuko. He stepped forward, grabbing Jack by the collar.

"What happened to my sister?!" He demanded, desperation sinking into his voice.

"Joshua took her." Said Jack laconically. Zuko paused for a second, confused.

"Wha… Joshua? He's alive?" He asked. Jack grabbed Zuko's hands, gently removing them from his collar.

"Ya." Said Jack, shaking his head slowly. "He's alive." Zuko stepped back, shocked. His mind was reeling, the room spinning around. Joshua was still alive? But how? Azula had killed him years ago in prison, he had been there to see it! There was no possible way that he was alive, it must have been a mistake.

"It was really him Zuko." Said Jack, as if reading his mind. "I saw him in the prison, and Aang saw him here, in the dining hall." Zuko looked up at Jack.

"You saw him in the prison, yet you let him take Azula?" Zuko's hands began to shake with rage. He looked at Jack with bitter disdain. He had been in the prison when Azula had gotten taken? He had let her get taken! Jack was working with Joshua, he was sure of it.

"You let her get taken you bastard!" Cried Zuko, throwing a fireball at Jack. Jack's eyes widened in shock, his hands moving up and blocking the fireball. Zuko charged at Jack, tackling him to the ground where the two exchanged fists, blood being draw from both. The others rushed over, pulling them off of each other.

"You let her get taken! You let her get taken! You're working with him!" Cried Zuko, blood dripping from his nose. Jack spat a glob of blood on the ground, struggling forward against Mai and Aang.

"Damn you Zuko! Damn you! I had to make a choice and I chose Suki!" Yelled Jack. Zuko jerked out of Katara's and Ty-Lee's grasp, standing straight up.

"Suki's dead you idiot! I bet you had a hand in that too!" He said, pointing a finger accusingly at Jack. Jack began to shake. Taking his left arm, Jack threw Aang off. Zuko watched as Jack threw off Mai as well and charged him, lunging for him. A blur of a hand rushed in and hit Jack's side, sending him crumpled to the ground, holding his ribs. Zuko blinked as he looked at Jack's form on the ground, Ty-Lee standing close by.

Slowly, Jack struggled to his feet, glaring at Ty-Lee. Ty-Lee stood there, upset at having to have knock down her friend. Jack turned to Zuko.

"I made a choice Zuko, I had to do it." Said Jack, the anger abating from his voice. Zuko shook, tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"But why didn't you choose her? Why didn't you choose my sister? We grew up together!" Cried Zuko, losing control. Jack lowered his head.

"Suki deserved the chance more than she did." Said Jack softly. Zuko turned around, kicking a chair and sending it flying across the room. He sank to his knees and grabbed at his hair, struggling with the emotions inside. He knew that Jack was not lying. Jack did not just let Azula be taken away, he would not do that. Zuko knew this, but it was just hard to admit it. Azula had not deserved that chance like Suki had, Jack had made the right decision.

It was not easy to take though. After the success with Toph's mother Zuko had begun to believe that he could fix his family as well, or at least his relationship with Azula. They had never been the closest, but he had always loved her, and after traveling with Sokka and Katara for a time his desire to have a positive relationship with his sister had grown. But now, now it seemed as if that opportunity would never come. His sister was in the hands of a lunatic, and more than likely would be dead within the day.

The feeling of a hand being laid on his shoulder made him turn. He wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeves, standing up next to Mai. She gave him a reassuring nod, her eyes soft. He nodded his head back, sniffling as he regained control. He cleared his throat.

"So, what happened exactly? I want to know everything." Jack took a deep breath then started his story. Zuko stood and listened as Jack told him of Aang's run in with Joshua earlier on, then of his own encounter at the prison. Jack then told him of the slaughter at the prison and his rush back to the palace. Katara finished the tale, with no little amount of disdain in her voice, telling of how they forced the truth about Jack out of Ty-Lee and Mai, and then had noticed that Suki went missing. Katara finished by telling him how they had found her, hanging from the cherry tree in the garden.

"Sokka's with her now. He's devastated." Finished Katara softly. Zuko stood stoically, keeping his composure. He was the Fire-Lord, he was the leader, and he had to remain strong for everyone else.

His mind, however, did not get the memo, as it was reeling. How had this happened? It made no sense, unless people were coming back from the dead. Joshua was dead, but then again, he had thought that Jack was dead for the longest time as well. It just turned out that he could not trust Azula on anything, even on executions. He started to think whether or not Amy was really dead because if she was not then he could clear this up real fast.

Zuko shook off the thoughts. He had to focus on the now. His sister was somewhere out there in the storm with a lunatic, going who knows where. He had to find her, it was the only way he could piece his own family back together.

"Where's Sokka?" He asked. Katara looked surprised.

"In my room, with Suki's body." She said. Zuko turned and started walking out.

"Get ready to go. We're going on a hunt!"

* * *

Sokka sat on his knees, staring blankly at her body. Her face was pale and lifeless, her lips blue. She was cold to the touch. He had told the others to leave after he set her here, demanding to be alone. After that he had washed her body, cleaning the rope burns around her neck and dressing her in her battle gear. He had searched for her fan blades, but they were nowhere to be found, so instead he lay his boomerang on her chest, intertwining her fingers around it. Now he merely sat, watching her.

Tears had come at first, while he was washing her, but now his face was dry. He was empty, hallow. He did not feel life nor did he wish to. All he wanted to do was to curl up next to her and to sleep forever, forever away from this world, a world where he had lost his mother, friends, and now, two girlfriends. It was just too much for him, the world was too harsh, too cruel, he could not take it anymore, so now he just sat, and stared.

He did not know how long he sat there, all he knew was that his knees began to cramp and rain pour outside, thunder and lightning rumbling and streaking across the sky. At one point Katara had come in to tell him that Azula had been kidnapped from the prison, but he had not moved, not even when she brought him a bowl of noodles. She had set it down on the table by the bed, the thick, sweet aroma calling to him, but he did not hear it. By now it had grown cold.

He just sat in silence, staring blankly ahead of him. Eventually, as time went by and the cloud of sorrow settled around him, he heard the sound of boots walking down the corridor, and soon the door opened. He did not turn.

"Sokka." Said Zuko, his voice choked. Sokka sighed, turning to Zuko, his face haggard and worn.

"What Zuko? What do you want?" He asked, his voice low and hoarse. Zuko walked into the room, looking at Suki. Sokka turned back to her, waiting for whatever it was that Zuko had to say. He did not want his pity, he did not need it. Eventually Zuko spoke.

"We're going out on a hunt. You coming?" Asked Zuko simply. For a moment Sokka did not understand, but then it hit him. His heart jumped. His veins, only moments before chilled to the core, leapt into life, hot blood pumping through them. His mind sharpened at the thought of vengeance, and the cloud of misery that had shrouded him before disappeared. This what he needed to do. Why had he not thought of it before? It was action, a calling to fulfill, he would hunt that lunatic down to the ends of the earth, only to kill him and toss his carcass off of whatever cliff happened to be most convenient. He stood up, turning to Zuko.

"Let's go on a hunt." He said. Zuko turned and left the room, Sokka hot on his tail. The two marched down the hall and past the dining room. Zuko took a left turn to a wall, stopping to press something behind a pillar.

"For special occasions." Said Zuko, looking back at Sokka. Sokka was in no mood for jokes, so he merely kept his glower. The wall hissed and cracks developed, opening up into a room, torches springing to life as it opened.

Zuko and Sokka stepped in to find a myriad of weapons lining the walls. Searching for a moment, Zuko took his twin dueling blades, strapping them to his back. Sokka kept looking, peering at the different weapons while Zuko strapped on some plate armor. There was just so much to choose form. Axes, chains, maces, sickle swords, bows, knives, and just about every other item imaginable.

Eventually He settled with a two handed war sword. The blade was thick and curved slightly, glinting a harsh steel with ruby flames running along the fuller. The hilt was as long as the blade, slightly curved with a black leather wrap. It came in a black sheath with silver characters running along it.

Sokka strapped it to his back, clipping the silver buckle in place at his chest. Looking through the rest of the weapons he also chose a short sword with a curved blade and white pommel guard. He strapped it to his side, then picking out a black cloak and throwing it on, he turned to Zuko, who was waiting by the door. Without a word the pair left, the door hissing shut behind them. They made their way back out into the hall and then to the dining room.

They found everyone sitting at the table, silent, save for Toph and Jack, who sat off in a corner, Jack speaking to her in hushed whispers. Someone had fetched her a dry set of clothes. No one stirred when they entered, save Mai who merely looked up at Zuko.

"We're leaving." Said Zuko simply. Everyone sat frozen for a moment or so more, then Toph arose. Sokka watched as Jack tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him off, walking away with a heavy countenance, her eyes obscured by her hair. She walked up to Sokka, giving him a hug. He did not return it.

"What are you guys waiting for? Do you want to catch this psychopath or what?" Asked Zuko, his ire rising. The others stood up, their actions slow and wearied.

Angered rushed through Sokka as he looked at everyone's languid forms. They did not want to catch this guy! They would rather be sitting here crying rather than going out and exacting justice.

Sokka took in a deep breath, calming himself. He had to remain in control. He would not be able to get at his target if he was a frayed ball of emotions. He needed to stay cool.

He let out his breath, turning and following Zuko as they exited. The others followed, Jack coming up beside them.

"We should start at the prison. Aang can take Appa and start a search pattern with Katara, while the rest of us split up into groups." Said Jack. Zuko grunted.

"You're with me." Said Zuko grudgingly. Sokka watched as the two exchanged a quick glance, and for a moment he thought that they were about to attack each other, but Jack merely nodded his head, keeping silent. The rest of the party filed out behind them. Zuko paused at the doors, turning back around to the rest of them.

"Alright, Aang, Katara, Jack and I are going to take Appa and fly over to the prison and start our search there. Sokka, you and Toph go north, out of the city, and over the mountain, Watch out for the volcanic glass." Warned Zuko. Sokka merely grunted, not waiting to hear the rest of the plan. He started off, opening the door.

"Sokka, wait!" Called Zuko. Sokka turned his head.

"If he doesn't have Azula we need him alive, understand?"

"And if he does have your sister?" Asked Sokka. Zuko nodded his head.

"He's all yours." That was good enough for Sokka. He threw his hood on, walking out into the raging storm, Toph trailing behind him. He went over to the Komodo-rhino pen and grabbed one, hoisting Toph up behind him. Kicking in his heels they started off, heading north of the city towards the mountain range. Toph sat silent behind him, gripping tight to his sides as the wind whipped by. Rain and lightning streaked about, a cold bitter wind numbing his skin, but he did not feel any of it. He was past the point of feeling anything aside from his rage. All he cared about at the moment was to find this Joshua guy and give him a slow, painful death. In fact, he would very much like to take him alive, just so he could torture him. He really did not care whether or not that lunatic felt pain, Sokka would just be happy to inflict some.

Eventually the storm began to let up, the rain slowing down and the clouds drifting off. A cold breeze swept down, chilling them to the bone. The first stars were poking through the clouds when Sokka and Toph reached their destination. They were at the edge of the city, at the base of the mountains. The path became broken, a rarely used road leading up between jagged shards of earth. Sokka dismounted, walking forward.

He looked around at the path, noting that there was no way that any trace of the lunatic would be found after that storm. They were going to have to just stumble across him. That, or else Toph could sense him with her Earthbending sight. Sokka turned back around to Toph, who had hopped down and was now standing next to the Komodo-rhino. Her arms were crossed, her hair plastered to her head form the rain.

"Come on." Said Sokka, turning around and moving up the path. He could hear Toph sigh rather loudly behind him, but she followed none the less.

The two trudged up hill, making their way up the mountain. Every now and again Sokka would bend low to the ground and examine it for marks, though he knew full well that if there was anything on the ground it would be much easier just to have Toph do it, but he was not in the mood for speaking, so he did it himself. The wind began to pick up and soon it was howling all about them, picking up some of the smaller rocks and throwing them at the pair. Toph just bent the rocks out of the way, also doing the same for Sokka, who walked on regardless.

Eventually, after several hours of uphill climbing, the sun began to poke through, its pale golden rays hardly lifting the chill that was set on them. Toph began to sneeze, her body shivering slightly. Sokka tried to keep on, but even he began to feel the drain of the fell chill on his body. His legs became heavier and heavier, his mind dulling once more. His rage was no longer supplying him with strength. Eventually he came to a stop, sitting down on a bolder. Toph came up next to him, calling up her own bolder to sit on.

"I haven't detected anything." Said Toph. Sokka nodded his head.

"I figured as much." He said, breathing heavily. Toph let out a loud sneeze.

"Bless you." Said Sokka.

"Thanks." Responded Toph. The pair sat there, quiet for a time. Sokka could feel his heart crashing in his chest. His emotions once again began to play around in his head, trying to draw him back to the grim reality that Suki was dead, but he could not go back, not yet. He had to keep his emotions at bay if he wanted to catch the psycho that did this; he had to find a way to distract himself.

"So, how was your fieldtrip with Zuko? Was it everything that you hoped it to be?" He asked. Toph seemed startled by his question. Obviously she had not expected him to address her in such a casual manner, considering all that had happened recently.

"Uhm, well, not exactly. It definitely was not what I had expected." Responded Toph. Sokka nodded his head.

"So, what was it? Come on, you can spill it to me. Zuko didn't take you on some mushy date or something like that? He wasn't playing Mai behind her back, was he?" Said Sokka, a slight grin in his voice. Toph laughed.

"No, no, nothing like that." She said, a little smile on her face. "No, he took me back to my parents." Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Ohh really? And how did that go? The house is still standing, yes?" He asked, making Toph laugh again.

"Ya, the house is still standing, barely. I was really mad at Zuko when I first found out what he had pulled, and we even got in a fight. And when my mom found us and invited us to stay for the night and Zuko accepted, I just about killed him." Said Toph, recalling her story. Sokka sat and listened, appreciating Zuko's audacity.

"Dinner went horribly and I got disowned, but Zuko managed to pull it out somehow. My mother and I made amends, and now I feel as if there actually might be a chance for me and my family." Said Toph, her spirit lifted. Sokka smiled, glad to hear Toph's tale. There was something else, however, aside from amusement that played around in his chest. He did not want to think about it, but he was pretty sure that it was jealousy.

Sokka shook his head, dislodging the thoughts from his head.

"So, where do you think these guys got to?" Asked Sokka, looking behind his back and up the mountain. Toph shrugged her shoulders.

"No clue. If they were in this area, though, I think the easiest way to spot them would be at the peak." Said Toph, pointing up. Sokka stroked his chin for a few moments.

"Alright earthbender, get us up there." He said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. Toph stood up, cracking her neck.

"Thought you would never ask Snoozles." Sokka smiled, glad to be with his friend and her demeaning nicknames. He suddenly realized that he should probably be standing for this.

Grabbing hold of a rock for balance, Sokka watched as Toph made a rigid motion towards the ground, lifting up the area they were standing on. She then began to make a swimming motion with her arms, as if climbing up the mountain. The platform they were on shot forward, careening by other boulders and jagged rocks that flattened before they hit them.

Sokka held on for dear life, screaming as they shot up the hill. The wind whipped past his face, making his eyes tear and his face go numb from its frigid touch. Eventually, right when he thought he was going to hurl, they came to a stop. Wobbling, he made his way over to the edge of the platform, falling off. Toph came over to him, brushing her hands off.

"We're here Snoozles." She said, picking him up. Sokka shook himself, trying to reorient his dancing sight.

"That was fun." He said, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down where they belonged. Toph laughed.

"Well, you're the one that wanted to get up my way." She said. Sokka nodded his head.

"Ya, remind me not to do that again." Toph punched him on the shoulder.

"Come on Snoozles, you got to admit that it was a little bit of fun." Sokka nodded his head.

"I'm not saying it wasn't fun, I'm just saying I'd rather keep breakfast down where it belonged, or whatever meal this was." He said, looking down at his stomach. It had been a long while since he had eaten, now that he thought about it, and the thought made him hungry. There was a dull ache in his gut from a lack of food. He was starting to regret not eating that bowl of noodles that Katara had brought him.

"Do you see anyone out there?" Asked Toph. Sokka looked out over the jagged landscape. The sun was just breaching the top of the ocean from where he stood, its golden tendrils reaching out over the bleak rock. He could see far, but the terrain was so ruff and covered with boulders that it was difficult to see movement, especially if the people you were trying to see were wearing black. Sokka shook his head.

"No, I don't see anyone." He said, taking a seat on a boulder. Toph came over and sat next to him.

"It was worth a shot Snoozles." She said. Sokka sighed.

"Ya, well, my best never seems to be enough." He said, a solitary tear trailing down his face. Toph shifted a little bit, trying to find the words to say.

"I'm sorry Sokka." She said simply. Sokka shook his head.

"Toph, no, now…" Toph held up her hand.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm being sympathetic." She said sternly. Sokka wanted to try and stop her, but he knew that she probably would just slap an earth gag across his mouth and continue on, so he just remained quiet.

"I've never really lost anybody that close to me. My parents wouldn't let me go out and meet people, so the only people I've really known are my parents, and they're still around. Not that it's that big of a deal to me, but still." Said Toph, laughing slightly. Sokka smiled at the gesture.

"But like I was saying, I really don't know anyone but you guys, and you're all still around. Even Jack, though I guess we really didn't know him." Said Toph, her voice lowering. Sokka nodded his head, still ambivalent about the whole situation with Jack, but that was something to deal with at a later time. Toph continued.

"The whole point, though, is that I don't know what you're feeling right now. You not only lost Suki, but also someone else, so I've heard." Said Toph, Sokka just kept silent, trying to suppress that bitter memory. "You've also lost your mother too, so I know that my sympathy doesn't mean anything to you, especially after everything that has happened, but I want you to know that I'm truly sorry for you, and I will do anything for you." She said. "Anything." She repeated, softer. Sokka felt a sensation crawl down his spine, making his body shake. He looked at his little friend, not so small as he seemed to remember.

Time had worked its magic. She had grown. Her once small, frail frame that hid such tremendous power came up to his chest, not his stomach. Her chest was beginning to press out, her hips attaining better definition. Her raven black hair, even damp, was silky and smooth, obscuring her ivory cheeks. Sokka had to take a double take, and then look away, finding that he was becoming more and more confused. Taking one last look at her he realized that she was turning red, noticing his stare.

They both turned away, rubbing their necks awkwardly. Sokka shook himself; Suki was dead! He could not be thinking of his friend like this, especially not his best friend! There was no way he could be involved with her romantically, she was one of the guys! In fact, Toph was about five times more masculine than Aang, and everyone knew it. It would just be weird for him to get involved like that. It must have been all the emotion of the recent events; that was what was getting to him.

Sokka stood up, rubbing his eyes.

"Uhh, thanks Toph, really. It means a lot to know you're there for me." He said. Toph stood up next to him.

"Don't worry about it, just don't tell anyone that I said that." She said, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. Sokka smiled, that was more like the Toph he was used to seeing.

"Don't worry kid, my lips are sealed." He said, sealing his lips like a zipper. She smiled at him, her ruby lips contrasting her pearly white teeth. Sokka stood there, staring at her for a while. It seemed as if the sunlight was catching her just right, creating a divine air about her. Eventually Toph begun to blush again.

"What are you looking at?" She asked. Sokka snapped out of it.

"Wha? Ohh, uhm, nothing." He said. Toph shifted slightly on her feet.

"So, uhh, where do you…. Ahhhh!" She cried, the sound of flesh being torn from skin coming from below her. Sokka jumped forward, catching her in his arms as she fell.

"Toph, are you…" The sentence froze in his mouth as he looked up, noticing the smiling form of a blonde haired man, clad in a dry black outfit. Two fire-nation brands sat on his skin, one on each shoulder.

"Joshua." Said Sokka, freezing. He had Toph in his arms, her body writhing in pain. He could not just drop her and draw his weapon, and the lunatic knew that.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. You know, I thought that I heard someone over here, and it turns out I did! I could have sworn though that that was the renowned Blind Bandit, detector of all things moving!" Said the lunatic, pointing a finger at Toph, Toph grimaced at him, clenching her teeth against the pain.

"Apparently all it takes to blind that bandit is a heart throb." Said Joshua, a devious smile on his face. Toph grunted, throwing a fist in the direction of his voice. A massive surge of rocks cascaded over towards Joshua, the smile on his face freezing.

"Run!" Cried Toph. Sokka had no objections against that idea. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and followed orders, taking off down the mountainside like a sure footed mountain goat-pig. Well, at least he was, until searing pain shot into his feet from his boots, making him stumble and fall. He tucked Toph tight into his chest, protecting her as he rolled down and rammed into a boulder. Sokka sat there, dazed for a moment. He let Toph's head come back, noticing the blood in his hand from her head. Panic welled up in him as he realized she was unconscious.

He tried sitting up, pushing himself to his knees even with the throbbing pain in his feet and side.

"Well, that was annoying." Said a voice. Sokka looked up to see Joshua, dusty his hands off. There was a cut on his cheek from Toph's assault, but other than that he was fine.

"Now, we're going to have some fun." Said Joshua, his hands glowing with power. Sokka used his body to cover Toph. Drawing his short sword he sat there. Whatever was going to happen, he was going to save her, he had to save her. He had failed every other time, but he was determined to make this last one count.

* * *

Jack and Zuko searched about the rocks, trying to find a path to follow, but there was nothing. They had been searching all night by the light of the bending, and they had found nothing. No sign of Joshua, no sign of Azula, absolutely nothing.

Zuko breathed out, trying to keep himself calm. He was cold, tired, and irritated. All he wanted to do right now was rage on someone, particularly Jack, but he knew it would not do him any good. They had to stick together at the moment if they wanted to get his sister back and capture Joshua. It just did not make any sense though; he had seen him die! How is it that Joshua was still alive? Zuko shook his head. He was not going to figure anything out until he found him, so he needed to focus up.

Turning back around, he looked up at the mountain. Toph and Sokka were approaching from the other direction, and so would get in Joshua's path, if he went this way. There was no telling, though, as there were no tracks. They were, at the moment, just guessing. They were not going to find anything.

"Zuko!" Called out Jack. Or perhaps they were actually on the right trail. Zuko ran over to where Jack was, a little further up the hill. The diamondbender sat squat next to a boulder, holding up a shining golden thing. It was a hair clip, shaped like a rose and studded with rubies.

"Azula's hair clip." Said Zuko, taking the piece of metal from Jack. Jack nodded his head.

"There seems to be a little bit of blood here." Said Jack, touching a dark spot on the rock. Zuko bent over, looking at it.

"He's probably got her hands locked up. The only way she would have been able to get this out would have been to fall over and jam it beneath the rock." Zuko shook his head. "I'm surprised that she would risk damaging her hair to leave us a clue."

"Me too." Said Jack, a smile spread across both their faces. Zuko looked up the mountain. They now knew that they were going in the right direction, unless Joshua had planted it there, but they just had to assume it was from Azula.

Putting her hair clip in his pocket, Zuko started up the mountain, looking about the landscape for any sign of moving forms, but it was desolate, nothing but black rock and boulders.

"Come on." He called back to Jack, picking up the pace a bit. The two began to leap about on the boulders, squatting down quickly to check for signs of anything, then continued on. The sun was rising high in the sky behind them, though its rays did not warm them much. Jack had bent all the rain away, but it would not have made a difference. They were both so focused on finding Azula that they could have walked out into a blizzard and would not have noticed. They had only one thing on their minds.

Moving quicker and quicker uphill they came across nothing. No more signs, no more hints, no more items. Just the hair clip. Zuko was beginning to believe that it was a mislead for them to chase. If Azula truly had left them something she would have left other things, wouldn't she? He did not know, and as time went by and still they came across nothing more the doubt grew. Finally he stopped, turning to Jack.

"What if it was a mislead?" Asked Zuko, panting slightly. Jack shook his head, sweating.

"We're screwed either way, whether we had followed it or not. If it was a mislead, and we had to pick our own direction, it would have been like flipping a coin. Who's to say that Joshua would not have just went in the direction of his mislead anyways, knowing that we would think it a mislead?" Said Jack. Zuko nodded his head. Joshua had always been a bit overcomplicated that way. Sometimes his greatest fault was assuming too much of his opponents. His plans were so complicated and relied on others fulfilling a certain part that many a time they failed, merely because they were too convoluted. Of course, Joshua never believed that it was his fault.

Zuko shook his head again.

"What do we do then?" Asked Zuko. Jack pointed up the mountain.

"We keep going up." Said Jack. Zuko nodded, turning around and running back up. He leapt from boulder to boulder, checking the area real quick then continuing on. Jack followed suit, also keeping his gaze ahead of them. Eventually the two stopped again, their bodies growing weary from their enterprise. Zuko panted, looking up the mountain and realizing that they still had a lot of ground to cover.

The pain in his stomach made him realize that he had not eaten for a long time. For that matter, he had not drank anything in a while as well. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, and nowhere closer to catching Joshua than when he had first begun. For all he knew they could be crossing the sea to the Earth-Kingdom right now. There was no way they were going to find them.

Jack grabbed Zuko's arms, dragging him down.

"Look!" Hissed Jack. Zuko looked up, trying to follow where Jack's finger was pointing. Eventually he saw what Jack did; a cave, far up the mountain, with a figure disappearing into it. It could be nothing, but it also could be Joshua. Zuko looked at Jack, nodding his head.

The two both sprang down, making their way between the boulders, running across the uneven ground. They stayed bent, running low to the ground. A burn began to develop in Zuko's legs as he squat, making him take a second to breath in the chill air and continue on. He was making his way forward when Jack held up a hand. They both froze. Jack peeked his head above a boulder for a moment, only to duck down swiftly as a boulder shattered right above him. Well, it looked like they had been spotted.

Zuko stood up, using his firebending to boost him up onto a boulder. Taking two quick steps he dove off the boulder, avoiding a flying mass of rock coming at him. He launched to fireballs uphill at the cave, then landed.

Zuko leapt from boulder to boulder, shooting flames and balls of fire uphill at the cave, where a figure sat in the entrance. For a while Zuko began to wonder whether or not they were fighting some lunatic earthbender, but when a ball of black fire shot out at him he knew that it was Joshua.

Zuko blocked the ball of flame with a jab to the center, splitting it around him. Taking one step he launched himself into a spinning kick, shooting two flames at Joshua then landing on the ground. A boulder came in from the side and crashed into the cave, no doubt Jack's doing.

Moving up behind the boulders, Zuko made his way to the cave, exchanging fire with Joshua. At one point, when he was getting close to the cave, the ground began to shake. Zuko felt the vibrations in his feet, the ground cracking up.

Springing onto a boulder, Zuko sprinted, dashing from one boulder to another. Looking up, he was just in time to see a massive wall of earth come hurtling at him. Black, jagged rocks rolled towards him in a wave, like some monstrous mincing machine. Taking in a deep breath, Zuko braced himself in his stance. He waited until the wave was almost directly on him, then he separated his chi, letting it out through the end of his fingertips.

For a moment electricity jumped from his finger, blue sparkles dancing before his eyes. His heart jumped up into his throat. He was doing it! He was creating lightning! He had finally reached the point of calm and control in his form and thought that allowed him to shoot lightning! He was just as good as his father and sister and uncle!

Then it blew up in his face, sending him flying back. He hit the ground hard, his head luckily being save from a whipping action by running into Jack. Quickly Jack pulled a layer of earth over them, the force of the wave going over them making the ground shake. It was like thunder crushing them, but eventually it passed, and all was quiet.

Jack threw the cover away, standing up and looking to the cave. Nothing. Zuko picked himself up, his body aching from his rough landing.

"Where'd he go?" He asked.

"What?" Asked Jack, his voice off key. Zuko blinked.

"Where did he go!?" He said, a little louder. Jack shook his head.

"No clue." Replied Jack, putting a finger in his ear and yawning. Zuko looked about uneasy. He felt like there was a pair of eyes watching him, waiting for the right opportunity to take him out. He stood tense, waiting for another assault, but it never came. Jack looked back at him, motioning towards the cave with his head; Zuko nodded.

The two separated, ascending up to the cave on either side. It was quiet, strangely so, especially after the clatter of their battle. Zuko came up to the side of the cave, peering in real quick then drawing back. Jack was over on the other side, waiting for Zuko's mark. A thought suddenly struck Zuko. He reached up, pulling his dueling swords out with only a slight click of metal. Separating them he took in a deep breath. This was it, Joshua was in there. They were going to end this here and now and get his sister back, it was as simple as that.

He looked over at Jack, putting a hand up with three fingers. Jack nodded, his hands beginning to glow white with flames. He took in one last deep breath. Three. Two. One.


	7. Below the Earth and in the Air

**Chapter VII**

Zuko rushed in, swords raised. Jack came in alongside him, his fists glowing white, but they came to a crashing halt. There was nothing. Zuko looked around the cave, but it was just a little nook, nothing much. The sound of water dripping echoed from the back of the cave, a musty scent wafting in the air. He shot a couple of fireballs towards the back but all they did was hit the wall, illuminating the tiny little cave for a moment then dispersing to the ground. It made no sense. Where in the world had Joshua gotten to? He had gone in this cave, right?

"Where is he?" Said Zuko. He turned to Jack, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Is he hiding in the ground or something?" Asked Zuko, his confusion lending to his anger. Once again Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"Stop doing that!" Yelled Zuko. Jack went to shrug his shoulders again, but then he noticed the glower on Zuko's face and thought better of it. Zuko turned back to the cave.

"Do you think it's possible that he went up the mountain while we were hiding underneath your little earth shield?" Jack went up to the cavern wall, running his hands along the rough stone. It was cold to the touch.

"Well, I guess it's not impossible, but it would have been extremely difficult; we were only underneath it for a second or so, I don't know if he would have had time to go uphill without being spotted." Zuko looked behind them, half expecting to see Joshua standing there laughing at them for thinking he was in the cave, but there was no one there, just empty space. He turned back around to Jack.

"Do the one thing with your feet." He said. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"What one thing with my feet?"

"You know, the thing were you can see with them. Like Toph." Jack laughed.

"Zuko, I'm a natural firebender, I don't know how to use earth sight."

"But you're good at Earthbending!"

"Ya, but not that good. I would need a lot more training and patience to learn to actually listen to the earth. I'm more of a mover than listener." Finished Jack, still running his hand along the face of the rock. Zuko groaned.

"Why did I pick you to come along with me again?" He said, slumping back onto the caverns wall. Jack started to tap the wall with a rock.

"Because you love my shining personality?" Said Jack. Zuko groaned again.

"I had to pick thee smart-ass." He said. Jack laughed.

"Hey, we grew up together, what did you expect?" Zuko shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, maybe a bit more concern or something like that. It's only my sister that's been captured you know!" Said Zuko, spinning the blades in his hands. Jack kept on tapping, his ear pressed up against the wall.

"Ya, I know. Believe me, I want to get her back to, but I figure that right now the best thing we can do is to relax and keep our heads cool. We can't be going at Joshua with emotions raging, he knows us too well, he'd just play it." Zuko sighed, pinching his nose.

"I know, I know. I'm just worried about Azula." He said, leaning back up against the wall. A chill spread up his spine as the cool rock sapped the heat from his body. It pricked at his back, the rough texture jutting out into his lower spine. He did not move; he let the pain take away some of his energy.

"So am I, but the best way to help out your sister right now is to keep calm and cool. We can figure this out." Said Jack. Zuko nodded his head. Ya, calm and cool, he could do that.

"When we deal with Joshua you are going to do some training with Toph. You are going to learn to see with your feet and bend metal." Said Zuko. Jack set the rock down with a little clatter, turning around to look at Zuko.

"What?" He said.

"You're going to train with Toph and sharpen your Earthbending skills. I can't have an amateur as my head bodyguard." Said Zuko. He had been meaning to tell him, but he figured now was as good a time as any. A smile spread across Jack's face.

"Is that so? And what if I don't want the job?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"If you don't want it I'm sure that I can find someone else." Jack shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll take it. I just can't say how safe you're really going to be with me as your head bodyguard. I can't even find the guy that kidnapped your sister." He said, turning back to the wall.

Zuko sighed, leaning his head back up against the wall of the cavern.

"Tell me about it." He let his hands drop down next to the wall, the hilt of his blades knocking against the stone. An echo ran out behind him. Jack froze, turning to him.

"What was that?" Asked Jack. Zuko turned around, pressing his ear up against the wall and knocking against it with his hilt again. The knock echoed back behind the stone. There was something behind the wall.

"Watch out." Said Jack. Zuko stepped back, watching as Jack grabbed up then pulled down, pulling the wall to the floor like a curtain. A dark expanse lay behind the wall, moving down and to the left. Zuko poked his head in, throwing a fireball down the tunnel. It hit the wall down at the end at an angle, lighting the whole passage for a moment. It was empty, but there were some markings along the wall. Scorch markings.

"Azula." Breathed Zuko. Jack looked at the scorch marks.

"Yup, I would recognize those anywhere. It looks like they took a little detour into the earth." Said Jack. Zuko nodded his head.

"Shall we go in?" Asked Zuko, putting his swords back and creating a ball of fire in his palm. Jack smiled, creating a ball of white flame in his hand.

"Ladies first." Said Jack.

"Age before beauty." Retorted Zuko. They both smiled. Jack was just stepping in the tunnel when the sound of feet at the cavern entrance made them turn, both of them shooting a blast of fire. The figure at the entrance fell to the ground with a cry, plastering himself just below the inferno.

"It's me! It's me!" Yelled Aang. Zuko looked at Jack, a slight grin on his face.

"Sorry Aang, we thought that you were Joshua." Said Jack, walking over and hulling the airbender up off the ground. Aang brushed himself off, looking at them.

"Ya, we heard all the racket and came over to investigate. We figured that you had found him." Said Aang. Zuko nodded his head.

"Joshua and Azula are down this passage." Said Zuko, pointing back to the tunnel. "Jack and I are going to see where it leads." Aang looked at the tunnel behind them.

"That's not creepy or ominous at all." Said Aang. Zuko shrugged his shoulders.

"That's where my sister is, so that's where we're going. I want you to go back over to the northern side of the mountain and find Toph and Sokka, bring them over here. Have them come in the cavern after us, we're probably going to need Toph's sight." Said Zuko. Aang nodded his head.

"Alright, what do you want Katara and I to do after that?" Asked Aang.

"Go out and find Mai and Ty-Lee, they're along the beach. Take them back to the palace. After that you and Katara get back on up and circle the area. Wait for our signal, then come in and help us."

"What's the signal?" Asked Aang. Zuko and Jack looked at each other.

"Aang, we're two firebenders. What do you think the signal is going to be?" Aang sat still for a moment, thinking about it, then it hit him.

"Ohh, okay, that makes sense. Alright then, we'll get right on it!" Said Aang, hopping back out of the cave. Jack turned to Zuko, an amused smile on his face.

"That kid cracks me up." Said Jack, walking over to the tunnel.

"He's really something." Replied Zuko, stepping in behind Jack.

The two made their way into the tunnel, lighting their way with fire. The walls were damp and cold, a musty smell lingering on the walls, as if the tunnel had been lingering for a long time. The air was stale, like that of a mine shaft. Drops of water echoed down the tunnel, reverberating across the stone walls and pass them, continuing on and increasing in noise with every moment.

"I don't think that Joshua made this tunnel." Said Jack, following the path to the left. Zuko kept behind him, glancing ahead.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, slightly out of breath. Jack paused for a moment, listening down the tunnel.

"Well, first off, I don't think Joshua knows how to form arches like this." Said Jack, pointing to the roof. Zuko looked up, noticing the entire tunnel was one long arch, thus removing the need for support pillars as the stone literally pressed against itself and maintained its own weight.

"His Earthbending is too sloppy for that." Continued Jack. Zuko nodded his head.

"Ya, he was always pretty good at fire and air."

"The sneaking death." Replied Jack. Zuko smiled at the memory, the smile quickly vanishing as he realized that the name had become an all too true representation of his old friend.

"What did you see at the prison?" Asked Zuko. Jack sighed, continuing down the dark passage.

"Bodies everywhere. Some of them looked as if they had exploded from the inside out. Severed heads and limbs, crushed bodies, it was horrifying. I couldn't believe that Josh had done it." Said Jack, his voice shaking slightly. Zuko shook his head.

"Well, I guess it's not that big of a surprise, considering what Azula did to him." He said. "To both of you." He added.

"Ya, well, it still doesn't make what he did right. Or, for that matter, what I did." Zuko nodded his head. They had talked about it.

The two continued down the passage, following it as it slowly ran deeper and deeper, heading back the way they came. Zuko felt as if they were walking into the heart of the earth, being swallowed up by the stone around them with every step. Something inside of him wanted to go back, to leave this frigid tomb, but he persevered; he had to find his sister.

As they moved on the air became thinner and thinner. A burn was developing in his lungs as his body began to crave oxygen. Eventually they both stopped, taking a second to get a breath.

"Let's kill the flames a sec, okay? It's sucking up all the air in here." Said Zuko, his breath ragged. Jack merely nodded his head, sweat dripping down his face even with the frigid air around them. Both of their flames went out, the air almost instantly becoming a little fresher.

Zuko began to shiver as the warmth from their flames disappeared. Without heat it was actually really cold in the tunnel. Zuko gritted his teeth; he hated the cold.

The two sat there, waiting until their breath became regular once more. Zuko tapped Jack on the shoulder, or at least, he thought it was his shoulder.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"Ya, but how about this time I light the flame. That way we can save more of the air." Zuko thought of it for a moment.

"Sure, your flame's brighter anyways." Replied Zuko.

"Okay, here we go." Said Jack, a white flame leaping to life in his hands. The two continued down the passage, looking from side to side and tapping on the walls occasionally to make sure that they missed no side passages, but there was nothing. After roughly half an hour or so of travel in the same direction the ground leveled out, and even started to climb again, which was a little reassuring; at least they were heading up and out of this tunnel, or at least they were heading up. However, there was still no sign of Joshua or Azula. Zuko sighed.

"You know, Joshua might not even be down this way. This could have just been a convenient find."

"What about the scorch marks?" Asked Jack. Zuko shrugged his shoulders.

"Josh could have planted them there." He said. Jack wiped his nose.

"Alright, say that he did plant them there. Then why the heck would he lure us into the cave in the first place? He could have just hidden in here and followed it to wherever it led." Said Jack.

"Well, we could just be walking straight into a trap." Replied Zuko. Jack sighed.

"Ya, I guess you're right. Still, I don't see where this is going."

"You'd have to light the path that way then." Said Zuko, pointing past them and adding a bit of humor to their situation. Jack chuckled, amused.

"Not bad, not bad." Said Jack, turning back around. Zuko started to follow, pausing a moment later as Jack froze. There were voices up ahead. Namely, there were two yelling voices up ahead.

"You are a fricking prisoner, start acting like one!"

"You're so tough when I'm all bound up, let's see how you do with my hands free, you won't be giving orders then!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Why in the world can't you listen!? Don't you understand that I could stick you right now!?"

"You don't have the guts to stick me!" Jack looked back at Zuko, mouthing their names. Zuko nodded his head. He needed nothing more than to hear their voices to tell who it was. The two began to sneak forward, listening to the screams as they became louder and louder.

"What in the world was your plan anyways? To kidnap me and bring me down here and try to torture me? Really, that was it? Did you really not expect my brother to come after me? He still cares about me you know."

"Ya, well, that makes one of you." There was a moment of silence after that, Azula's voice coming back softer after that.

"I care about my brother." She said. Zuko felt something pull at his heartstrings. The pain that sat in her voice made him truly believe that she cared for him, at least a little. Though it could just be a ploy to make Joshua drop his guard, or become distracted. Joshua's laugh came back cold.

"Sure you do, as far as you can use him to advance your own agenda!" Another laugh followed Joshua's statement.

"Azula, you're too easy to read. You're cold, calculating, detached. The only thing that holds merit for you is the use that you can get out of something. When it's all used up it's time to throw it out and find a new one. That is what you do with your servants, your friends, and your family. They are all merely pawns." Zuko felt a knot develop in his throat. There was truth to his words.

"Everything you do is a plot, a twist, a scheme. There is not a single action that you take that is not staged or thought of. I doubt you've ever done anything in your life that was off of a whim." Zuko could sense Jack's body tense as he took in Joshua's words. It was true, all of it. They both saw Azula like that; cold, calculating, always trying to find her next advantage. It was what made it so hard to get close to her, so hard to love her. Even as her brother Zuko found it difficult to believe anything she said, always thinking that she was trying to get at an angle. The worst part about it was that she always was!

"I've changed." Said Azula simply. That elicited a long, hard, laugh from Joshua. Zuko could feel his own throat tightened as he realized he did not believe her either. No matter how hard he tried, he was with Joshua on this, she could not be trusted.

"You've changed? Really, you, have changed?! Are you kidding me! That has to be the funniest thing that I've ever heard! Do you really think that someone like you could ever change?"

"Jack did." Replied Azula tacitly. Joshua huffed.

"Ya, well, that boy ain't right in the head. Must've gotten knocked upside the noggin one too many times and now can't think straight. Probably your fault as well, poor kid"

"Or he's actually changed and doesn't want revenge. Is that so hard to believe? We used to have a pretty good life together, all he wants to do is rebuild that." Said Azula. Zuko peered ahead to Jack, who was still walking forward, slowly. What had he been doing in his visits to Azula? Zuko shook his head. That was not important right now. Right now they needed to get his sister back form that lunatic.

Jack froze, turning back to him.

"Zuko." He whispered.

"What?" Asked Zuko, ready to hear his plan. Jack breathed in, spending a moment in thought.

"I'm sorry for swearing at you." Said Jack. Zuko blinked. Wait, this was an apology? What, now!? Couldn't he have picked a better time? Well, he was apologizing, he might as well accept it, as misplaced as it might be.

"Uhmm… okay. I'm sorry for swearing at you to, and for accusing you of being with Joshua." He said. Jack nodded his head.

"Right then, now that we got that out of the way how about we get to this?" Zuko shook his head. He would never understand what was going through that kid's head.

* * *

Aang sat on top of Appa, flying through the air with Katara beside him. They had already found Mai and Ty-Lee wondering around at the beach. Ty-Lee had been accumulating a large collection of shells that she was storing in Mai's pack, while Mai actually searched for Joshua. They had not come across anything, except for sand and a constant mist that made them shiver. By the time that Aang had shown up they were thoroughly soaked and ready to get back to the palace to dry off.

After dropping them off at the palace, Aang and Katara had gone off in search of Sokka and Toph. He realized that he had done what Zuko had asked in reverse order, but the beach was right there, so he had just figured to go and grab the girls first.

After a few minutes of scanning the mountainside they had come across the path that the two had taken, or at least, it was the path that they thought the pair had taken, as it was the only path around. However, Sokka and Toph were nowhere to be seen. They flew up and down the mountain looking for those two, but they did not see anything that lead them to believe that those two were in the area. They only had the path. Eventually Aang decided to go down on foot and investigate while Katara kept flying a search pattern with Appa.

"Be careful!" Called Katara as she soared up into the sky with the bison.

"You too!" Called Aang, watching until Appa and Katara were mere specks in the distance. He was at the base of the mountain where Toph and Sokka had started, or at least that was what he assumed. He believed they had followed the broken path, but that was only because there were some light mud prints from where Sokka's boots must have walked. That, and the fact that this was the only path on the north side of the mountain made it a pretty safe bet that they went up this way, unless Sokka had decided to go rugged and hike up over the boulders. Which, as Aang thought about it, became a more and more likely possibility.

Aside from Sokka's footprints, however, it was bare, the hard rock taking no impressions, not even of Toph's feet. Aang sighed. He was going to have to just climb.

Taking off at a jog, Aang hopped up the mountain, enjoying the crisp chill mountain air. It felt like a light frost kissing his face, lifting away his worries. The sensation reminded him a lot of the air temple he had grown up at.

After twenty minutes or so of jogging and reminiscing, he realized that there was no way he was going to get Toph and Sokka over to the tunnel on time. He was just going to have to hope that Zuko and Jack could take Joshua on their own. It seemed plausible.

Aang continued up the side of the mountain, coming at a stop some distance up. He looked at the ground, noticing a clear trail of destruction that had blended in with the rest of the jagged slope. It looked as if Toph had decided to use some Earthbending to speed up their ascent.

Pulling out his bison whistle he gave it a blow, waiting a minute or so until Appa appeared again in the sky. He shot up a pillar of flame to make sure that Katara knew where to go and then sat back and watched them. She flew in, coming in to a stop amongst the rubble.

"Wow, how did we miss this?" She said, sliding down off of Appa.

"The terrain made it blend in. It just looked like the rest of the rocks from up high." Said Aang, walking over to her. Katara looked around.

"I notice that Sokka and Toph still aren't to be seen." She said. Aang nodded his head.

"Yup. I figure that they might have made it all the way to the top and over. Who knows, they might have just kept going on their earth-sled. They might be on the other side of the island by now." Katara sighed.

"That would be just our luck. We know where that lunatic is but my brother is off on the complete opposite side of the island." She said. Aang laughed.

"Sokka does have a tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." He said. Katara smiled.

"Tell me about it."

"Go ahead and take Appa and fly low, staying close to the path. See if you can't find the end of it." Said Aang. Katara nodded his head.

"Alright. If it goes on past the peak I'll come back down and get you." She said.

"Sounds like a plan." He replied, starting off at a jog. Katara climbed back on Appa, flying past Aang a moment later.

Aang kept moving along the path of debris, looking around for any sign of Sokka and Toph, but there was none, just shattered rocks. Wherever those two had gotten off to it probably was not anywhere close to here. After moving up the mountain for a few minutes Katara came back, picking him up. The trial had stopped at the peak, where a piece of earth that did not belong rested. Aang climbed aboard and they took off, landing at the end of the trail.

The two disembarked and began to comb the area, trying to find any sign of their missing friends. Aang came across some shattered rocks. There was also some volcanic glass, covered in blood, shooting up out of the ground. He called Katara over.

"Look at this." Said Aang, kneeling down next to the volcanic glass. Katara bent down and looked at it, touching the blood.

"It's still fresh." She said, rubbing it between her fingers. Panic shot through Aang.

"They've been attacked!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He looked about, expecting to see their disfigured corpses. Katara laughed.

"Aang, I think there's an easier explanation." She said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Aang turned back to her, perplexed.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, considering the fact that they were surrounded by rocks, and Toph would have been able to notice anyone approaching for miles, I think it's safe to say that they weren't attacked. I think the more plausible explanation is that when they got up here Toph hopped down from her sled and didn't bother looking where she was going and landed on the volcanic glass. Then she blew up in a fit of rage and threw some rocks around." Said Katara. Aang thought about it for a moment. It made sense. Toph did have a short temper. It just seemed a little forced.

"You sure?" Asked Aang. Katara nodded her head.

"Ya, pretty sure." She said. Aang turned around, looking about.

"Where are they then?" He asked. Katara shrugged her shoulders.

"They're probably back at the palace by now. That's why we couldn't find the komodo-rhino." Said Katara. Aang nodded his head.

"Ohh, ya, that makes sense." He said. Katara smiled.

"Of course it makes sense, I came up with it." She said, turning around and walking back over to Appa. Aang stayed for a moment more, looking around. Katara's explanation was sound, but there was still something eating at him. Something just did not fit in with this picture, he just could not put his finger on it. Eventually Katara called out to him.

"You coming sometime today?" She yelled. Aang took one last look around, then turned and went back, hopping on Appa alongside Katara.

"We'll go back and check the palace first to make sure that they made it alright, then we'll round up my brother and head back to the tunnel." Aang nodded his head, looking down as they flew up and away. He scanned the ground for any sign of movement, anything that did not fit with Katara's story, but he could not find anything, so he merely turned back to the reins, guiding Appa towards the palace.

Aang landed in the courtyard right outside the main doors. Hopping down off of Appa he told the shaggy beast to wait for him, receiving a grumbly growl for a response. They were just going to rush in, check up on Toph, grab Sokka, and make their way back over to Zuko and Jack.

However, when they went inside, they could not find Sokka or Toph. They searched high and low throughout the palace looking for the pair but there was no sign of them anywhere. Eventually Aang stumbled across Mai and Ty-Lee, the two pacing about in the library. They looked up at him when he entered the room.

"Did you get him?" Asked Mai. Aang shook his head.

"We can't find him." He replied.

"I thought you said he was down the tunnel?" Said Ty-Lee, a confused look on her face.

"No, I never said he was down any tunnel." Replied Aang, wondering as to what tunnel they could have possible be referring to. There were not any tunnels where Sokka had been, were there?

"Are there any tunnels on the northern side of the mountain?" Asked Aang. At this point Mai looked confused as well.

"I thought that you said that it was over on the southern side where Zuko was searching?" She asked. Aang froze.

"Wait, what are we talking about here?" He asked, completely lost in the conversation.

"Joshua, in the tunnel, on the southern side of the mountain. You said earlier when you were dropping us off here that Zuko had found a tunnel in a cave where Joshua had disappeared to and that they were going in after him. Now you're acting as if you've never heard of such a thing." Aang's face turned red.

"Ohh, ya, right. No, I thought that you were talking about Sokka." He said.

"Why would we have been talking about Sokka?" Asked Ty-Lee. Mai ran a gloved hand over her face.

"No, I was not talking about Sokka Aang. I was talking about that lunatic that's running amuck at the moment." She said. Aang laughed nervously.

"Ya, I knew that. Well, uhm, I don't know whether or not they've found him, I haven't been back over on that side of the mountain yet." He said. Mai groaned.

"Then why are you back here? Did you expect us to be toasting a victory already? Joshua may be crazy, but he's dangerous, it won't be that easy to take him down."

"No, I know that. I'm just looking for Toph and Sokka, we thought that they had come back here." Said Aang. Mai shook her head.

"You are the only person we've seen since you've dropped us off." Said Mai.

"Well technically he's the second person we saw. Because, you know, we saw him before. Ohh, wait, does that make him the first?" Asked Ty-Lee, confusing herself. Mai and Aang both stared at Ty-Lee for a moment, confused by even her train of thought. Ty-Lee turned red as she realized the absurdity of her own statement.

"Anyways." Said Mai, turning back to Aang. "You said that you can't find them?" She asked. Aang nodded his head.

"Ya, they're missing. All we found on the northern slope was a pile of rocks and volcanic glass with blood on it, we couldn't find them."

"Where did you find the volcanic glass, at the bottom or top of the mountain?" Asked Mai, her countenance gaining an even sterner air than usual.

"Or in the middle?" Asked Ty-Lee, not entirely sure what the pertinence of the question was but trying to help out. Aang was confused.

"Right at the top, at the peak." Said Aang. Mai's face grew grave.

"But I thought that the volcanic glass sat towards the bottom of the mountain. I don't remember finding any at the peak?" Said Ty-Lee, looking back at Mai. Aang felt something jump in his chest.

"What are you saying?" He asked.

"The volcanic glass doesn't occur naturally up at the peak, which means somebody had to make it from the earth around them and bring it up out of the ground." Said Mai.

"That means that it wasn't an accident, they were attacked." Said Aang, connecting the dots. His stomach started churning. Mai nodded her head.

"But, their komodo-rhino was missing. There's no way that Joshua could have made it down the mountain, hide the komodo-rhino, and get over to the other side to attack Zuko and Jack. There just was not enough time" Said Aang.

"If it wasn't tied up then it probably wondered off. Komodo-rhinos are fairly stupid." Said Ty-Lee. Mai nodded her head, giving her agreement.

"It's not too far-fetched to think that the beast just wondered off, thus making you think that they must have come back to the palace." Aang ran a hand over his bald head.

"This is not good." He said, the anxiety rising up in his chest. He could feel it crawl around inside, eating away at his nerve like some infectious disease. Soon his lungs would seize up and he would begin to panic, then he would be a withering mass of flesh on the ground.

Aang smacked himself, shaking the feeling off. He needed to get a grip! His friends were in danger, he could not afford to have a personal breakdown at the moment!

Mai and Ty-Lee looked at him with concern on their faces, obviously perplexed by his odd behavior.

"Everything okay?' Asked Mai. Aang looked back up at them, realizing that they had been watching him the whole time.

"Sorry, I'm just kinda stressed out at the moment." He said, leaving the room. He nearly ran into Katara as he left, stopping just short of her as she rounded the corner.

"I can't find those two anywhere! I' beginning to think they aren't in the palace at all." Said Katara, throwing her hands up.

"It was a setup." Said Aang, walking towards the front doors. Katara stood stunned for a moment, a confused look on her face.

"What?" She said, running to catch up with Aang. Aang explained what Mai and Ty-Lee had told him while they mounted Appa, grabbing the reins and taking off immediately.

"How can you be sure it was a setup?" Asked Katara, still not fully convinced with Aang's theory.

"When have you ever known Toph to step on something she didn't want to when surrounded by rock? She's never done it before, and I don't think she's starting now." Katara was still not convinced.

"But with all that's happened, surely don't you think she could have been distracted by her grief or something? It doesn't necessarily have to be a setup." Aang shook his head.

"I think she was distracted; that's why Joshua was able to get her in the first place." Katara shook her head.

"I just can't believe it; I don't want to believe it. Toph and Sokka would never let themselves get caught!" Aang could hear the trembling in her voice as she began to grapple with the possibility that her brother had been abducted by a lunatic.

"Look Katara, I know that you don't want it to be true as much as I do. If it was Joshua then there's no telling what could have happened to them. They could both be dead right now, or worse, so we at least need to consider the possibility." He turned to look at Katara, seeing the tears trailing down her face.

"I can't lose him." She said. Aang could feel the pain in her voice as she spoke, the fear of lost that was haunting her. He felt it too, it was like a weight inside of him, growing with every passing moment.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers between her chilled flesh. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, turning back to the mountain. They had to find them.

* * *

Zuko walked crouched behind Jack, hugging the wall. They moved forward slowly, taking their time as they approached. Azula and Joshua were still yelling at each other, currently exchanging insults. The screams came from right around the corner, their yells growing louder and louder with each step. Jack leaned up against the corner, taking in a deep breath. Zuko placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know that he was ready to move. He took in a deep breath. It was time for some payback.

They sprung around the corner at a sprint, Jack with fire in his hands and Zuko with his swords drawn. The two quickly came to a halt, shocked at the empty hall in front of them. Torchlight came from up ahead at the end of the hall, the sound of a metal being scratched at now coming down at them.

"Will you stop scratching at that stupid lock? You'll never get it open."

"I've got this thing open hundreds of times before! I had to make sure that I could get in."

"If you opened it before then why is it locked now?"

"Because if it was not locked and someone had come down here they would have known that someone else had been here and then they would have changed the locks, or destroyed the tunnel. I couldn't risk that happening."

"Ohh, look at you Josh, always one step ahead of everyone else."

"Shut up!" Jack looked back at Zuko, holding a finger to his mouth. Zuko nodded his head. Joshua had not heard them charge around the corner, which was a good thing, as that would have gave him ample opportunity to threaten Azula and halt their charge. That, and it was kinda embarrassing to charge around the corner with weapons drawn and no one to fight.

Coming up to the next corner Jack pressed himself against the wall, making sure to take a quick peak this time. He looked back at Zuko, giving him the thumbs up. They were around this corner. The sound of chains falling to the ground echoed in the hall with a loud clatter.

"Ha! Got it! Told you that I knew how to get in!"

"Good for you Josh, you took off some chains without bending, so impressive." Zuko could hear Azula's eyes rolling. He shook his head. She was just adding fuel to the flame. The sound of a door being shoved open brought his attention back to Joshua.

"Doing something without bending is quite satisfying. Besides, since I didn't damage the lock or break the chain I can close it behind us so that they think that no one's been here." Azula laughed.

"And how are you going to do that and get on the other side of the door?" Said Azula. There was a moments silence as Joshua contemplated this fact.

"Shut up." He replied. Azula laughed, very loudly.

"You are an idiot!" Footsteps echoed down the hall, then a loud smack, flesh on flesh. There was another, and another. Zuko tried to move forward, but Jack grabbed him and held him back. He struggled for a second, then sat back.

_Too close_. Mouthed Jack. Zuko nodded his head, the rage coursing through his body. How dare he touch his sister!

The sound of footsteps walking back to the door was followed by a grind as the door was pushed further opened.

"And in we go." Said Joshua. Zuko tapped Jack on the shoulder. Jack held up a hand, three fingers up. Three. Two. One.

The two rounded the corner, having only a split second to take in the scene. Joshua was standing in front of a doorway, cobwebs and dust hanging on it. A pile of chains and a large lock with a golden dragon on it sat at his feet. A dark passage with wooden stairs sat behind him. A torch sat on the wall, lightened. Azula lay against the wall, roughly five feet from the right of Joshua. Her hands were behind her back, no doubt secured.

Joshua saw them first and immediately made a move to go for Azula, but Zuko shot a blast of flame between the two of them. Diving back, Joshua tried to bring the walls of the tunnel in on them, but Jack shoved his arms out and kept them up, shooting a fireball from his foot at Joshua. Joshua dove back into the hall and fled up the stairs.

"Go after him, I'll free Azula!" Yelled Jack. Zuko looked at his sister, noticing the cuts and bruises on her face. He started to lean in to help her, but she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm fine, brother, go after him before he gets away." Zuko felt stung at her response, but at least she was safe and still spirited enough to insult him. Turning to the door, he dashed in, running up the stairs with swords at the ready.

He sprinted as fast as he could, trying to catch up with Joshua. He heard crashing up ahead and a door being slammed open. The walls shook as the door opened, some dust falling down and covering his face. He hacked, blinking the dust form his eyes. Taking another four stairs, he came to see the door closing in his face.

Swinging his swords around, he whipped out a fireball, sending it crashing into the door before it could shut. It buckled and shattered, stone bits flying all over the place and into a large, open hall. Joshua flew back, slamming into the wall and landing on his feet. He shot back a couple of black flames at Zuko, making him deflect it with his blades. Joshua followed up his attack with a couple of boulders, then dashed off with a blast air. Zuko shattered the boulders with his blades, then charged in after him, freezing as he stepped into the all too familiar hall.

Red carpeting, large white pillars, golden trim glinting in the fire light. He was back in his palace. The tunnel had led back to his palace? Joshua had come back to the palace?!

Zuko shook the thoughts off, seeing Joshua's black figure dashing off down the hall. He took off after him sprinting and calling out, hoping that someone was nearby. Mai and Ty-Lee should be in the palace, right?

Joshua was pulling ahead of him, running down the hall. Zuko threw fireballs at him, missing every time as Joshua bobbed from side to side. Turning around, Joshua blasted a column of flames at Zuko, making him tear through it with a thrust of his blades. Joshua shot two more boulders at him, then leapt into a spinning kick, blowing a blast of air at him. Zuko shattered the boulders and rolled underneath the wave of air, closing the distance with Joshua.

Raising his blades, Zuko struck at Joshua, instead finding a rock wall. He broke through it to find the area behind vacant. Tumbling through the rubble, Zuko got back to his feet and continued after Joshua.

Running around the corner, he found a white blade coming for his throat. He dropped to the ground and slid on his knees, whipping his head back and out of the way. The blade smashed into the pillar above him and dissolved into dust. Zuko rolled back to his feet, turning to attack Joshua. Two white blades came down on him, deflected by his swords. Zuko spun and slashed low, but Joshua let his blades disintegrate, dropping his hands and recreating two new blades to block Zuko's blow. Luckily he did not have time to forge the blades completely enough to cut through Zuko's blades. A thought struck Zuko at that moment; diamond resistant blades.

The two exchanged blows in a flurry, Zuko working his firebending in and getting off a shot or two while Joshua had to focus his energy and time on forming and reforming his diamond blades.

They moved about, slashing, hacking, blocking, and dodging. Zuko's form was superior to Joshua's and his blades quicker, but Joshua merely had to drop his hands and recreate his blades, keeping him in the fight.

Zuko blocked a blow from Joshua then spun to his left, sweeping low with his swords. Joshua jumped his attack and came down with a single blade, trying to stab it in Zuko's chest. Sidestepping the stab, Zuko hit Joshua in the side with the pommel of his sword, spinning and nailing Joshua with a blast of flames while he was stunned. Joshua literally shook of the attack, dropping low and sweeping Zuko off his feet with a leg kick.

Zuko fell down to his back, putting his hands on the ground and launching himself back to his feet with a kick up. Coming back to his feet, he spun and slashed, catching some of Joshua's coat. Joshua returned it with a stab at his stomach, which Zuko blocked. The two kept fighting, their blades ringing out in the hall. Piles of ash began to accumulate on the ground as the battle raged on, sweat pouring down both of their faces.

Eventually Zuko went for a high attack, swinging his blades down at Joshua from two different sides. Instead of blocking them Joshua went down to a knee and thrust his hand straight for Zuko's abdomen.

His blades came to a halt as a sharp, searing pain cut into him. He could feel his blood pump out of him, spilling over onto Joshua's hand. He smiled at him with that menacing grin, his eyes turning completely black for a moment. He pushed Zuko back, letting Zuko's body tumble to the ground.

Zuko's blades clattered against the marble as they fell out of his grasp, his hands clutching at his stomach. Blood spurted onto his hand, pain throbbing with every heartbeat. Joshua leaned over him, grinning, his hand sparkling as a diamond blade formed in his grasp. Zuko threw a fist at Joshua, a burst of flame sending him flying off of him and into the hall.

Grunting, Zuko hauled himself to his feet, blood trickling down his body. He was beginning to fell woozy already, the effort of standing sapping him of the last visages of his strength. He faced Joshua, looking at his old friend's grinning face.

"You really think you were going to beat me, huh, Zuzu? Come on, you couldn't beat Azula, let alone me!"

"Azula always beat you." Grunted Zuko, the very statement causing him great pain. Joshua titled his head back and forth.

"It was more like fifty-fifty." Replied Joshua, black flames burning in his palms.

"You wanna bet?" A bolt of lightning shot through the hall, striking Joshua in the side. He went flying through the window and into the garden right as Zuko's vision began to blur, spots dancing before his eye. He saw commotion ahead of him, several different blurred figures rushing to and fro. There was more noise, things shattering and the sound of thunder, then he fell to his knees. Someone came up to him, sliding on their knees and calling his name. He tried to focus on the voice, to see the face, but he began to fall, then all went black.


	8. Dark Spirits

**Chapter VIII**

Aang stooped low to the ground, looking at the rocks. He scoured up and down the whole area, but found nothing. There were no more clues as to what happened to Sokka and Toph, they were just gone. The ground was too hard to retain footprints, and there was no more debris anywhere. Eventually he decided that they needed to expand their search pattern. There was something out there, they just had to find it.

"Keep close enough to call out. I know that Zuko and Jack said that they had him in a cave but I just want to be safe, okay?" Katara nodded her head. She had been getting progressively worse as time had gone by. The look of fear and terror in her eyes had spread to a slight trembling in her hands that she suppressed by shoving them in her pocket. Aang knew what was happening to her, but the only way that he could help her was to discover a clue to her brother's whereabouts, and thus far he had not been able to find anything.

The two split up, Aang heading down the mountain while Katara searched up at the peak and then over on the other side. Hopefully one of them would stumble across something, and soon.

The cool breeze which he had felt only an hour ago no longer was so reassuring or nostalgic. It carried with it a menacing feeling, like an evil voice whispering into his ear, telling him that his friends were in danger but refusing to tell him what had happened.

The sun was riding high in the sky, but it felt distant, even high on the mountain. Its warming rays did not reach him, just light, leaving him to fight off the chill and a growing sense of dread. Eventually a cloud blew in front of the sun, blocking off its light altogether and making the search that much harder. Aang began to lose it.

"Come on! I'm trying to find my friends! Can't you at least keep the light on since you can't be warm?" Aang stomped on the ground in anger, pain flaring through his big toe as he made contact with the rock. It felt like someone was sticking a red hot poker into his flesh, burning and searing it shut.

He jumped back with a yelp, looking down at the ground. There, where he had brought his foot down, sat another bunch of volcanic glass, covered in blood. He was lucky that he had only put his big toe on it.

Calling out to Katara, he went down on his knees, looking at the glass. Its shining black hue was tainted by crimson blood. He ran his finger alone it, but it was dry, painted onto the glass. There were also pieces of leather on the rock. A bit was from his own boots, but the rest must have been Sokka's, as it was a darker tone than his light brown boots.

Katara came running up to him, skidding down the mountainside with rocks clattering around her.

"What did you find?" She asked, her breath short from her dash over. Aang pointed at the volcanic glass, leaning back to examine his own toe as Katara stopped over the glass. He took his boot off, his foot shaking slightly with the pain. It was quite acute.

He grimaced as he looked at his wound. The glass had cut clean through his flesh to the bone, a speck of white shining in the sea of red. Blood dripped out, running down his foot and into his sock. Katara turned back to him.

"This must have happened before, or right after Toph's. I'm assuming it was Sokka because of the bits of leather." She said.

"I agree." Said Aang, holding his foot off the ground and squinting through the pain.

"Mind taking a look?" He asked, biting the side of his cheek. Katara gasped as she saw the blood trailing down his foot and onto the ground.

"Are you okay? What happened?" She asked, falling to her knees and flipping the cap off of her flask. The water whipped out, gathering around her fingers and humming as she focused her mind on healing.

"I guess you can say that I stumbled upon it." Said Aang with a grin. Katara shook her head.

"It's not good Aang, it's really deep." She said as she placed her hands around his big toe. The wound stun, the water shooting into his flesh and stitching the wound back together with what felt like little icicles, starting at the center and working its way out. Aang grimaced at first, but the pain slowly disappeared, replaced by a calming feeling. Eventually Katara brought her hands off, taking one last look at the wound.

"There, that's most of it." She said, flicking the water and clearing it of any impurities. Then she whipped it back into her flask, flipping the cap back on. Aang moved his toe around, feeling only a slight throb.

"Thanks Katara." He said, putting his boot back on and hopping to his feet. He walked around a little, testing his right foot. There was a little bit of pain, but nothing he could not manage. He turned back to Katara with a smile on his face.

"Where would I be without you?" He said. Katara was not paying attention to him, however, rather she was looking at the glass.

"If that's what it did when you merely stepped on it, imagine what it must have done to Sokka's feet shooting up out of the ground. If he's not already dead he's bleeding out and in a lot of pain." She said. A tear began to streak down her face. Aang came up to her, wiping away the tear.

"Don't worry, we'll find them." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Katara nodded, running a sleeve across her nose and sniffling.

"I know, I'm just afraid of what type of shape he'll be in." She said.

"Come on, let's see if we can't find anything else." Said Aang. The two continued to search the area, looking for any sign of their missing friends. Katara wound up finding another pool of blood, this one a bit bigger than the last. It was right next to a rock that had a slight dent in it, no doubt from someone who had the misfortune of crashing into it.

"I think I know what happened." Said Aang. "They were ambushed at the peak, where Toph's feet were taken out. She gave them some cover, and they fled down the mountain. Eventually Joshua caught up with them, and got Sokka while he was on the move, and he crashed into this rock." Said Aang. Katara nodded her head.

"Right, but what happened next?" She said. Aang stroked his chin.

"Indeed, what did happen next?" He said. Katara turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed?" She asked, an amused look on her face.

"What?" Replied Aang. The two exchanged a quick smile, the mood lighting for a moment. Suddenly, Katara's eyes widened.

"Whoa, do you see that?" She said, pointing past him. He turned around, looking back over the city and towards the palace. Two massive columns of flame burst into the air, one white and the other blue. They disappeared a moment later, the white one returning, and then the blue one returning after the white one vanished again. The signals continued off and on for a while, taking turns going up and out. Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder also began to appear, the tremors even reaching up on the mountain. Something big was happening. Katara turned to him.

"What in the world do you think that is?" She asked.

"It's the signal." Said Aang.

"The signal for what?" A pit developed in his stomach.

"They found Joshua." He said. Katara stared at him for a moment, then back over at the palace and the columns of fire. Something flashed across her eyes as a thought hit her. She turned around, running back up the mountain.

"Come on, we need to get back there!" She yelled. Aang snapped out of his stupor, turning and running after Katara.

"Wait, what? We're just abandoning Sokka and Toph?" He asked. Katara shook her head.

"No, we aren't abandoning them, we're just going to find out where they're at." She said. Aang caught up to her, grabbing her arm.

"Katara, even if they do capture Joshua, who's to say that you could get him to talk? Azula was tasked with torturing him for years, I don't think anything you can come up with will top that." He said. Katara paused for a moment, thinking.

"I have to at least try. We're never going to find them on our own." She said, climbing up on Appa. Aang did not follow.

"How about you go back and I'll stay here, okay? I'll keep searching. When you have the information come back." He said. Katara nodded her head.

"Just don't do anything you'll regret later. We'll find him, you just have to have faith." Katara sat still for a moment, taking in a deep breath, then she called out to Appa, taking off and sailing through the skies back towards the palace.

Aang sighed. This was not going to end well. He was afraid that even if they did catch Joshua he would just use Sokka and Toph's holding place as a bargaining chip to get out. He needed to find them before Joshua had a chance to do that.

He walked back over the area, trying to find something, anything. A blood trail, a footprint, even a rock that was out of place that would tell him where his friends were at. But after searching diligently he could not find anything. Aside from the volcanic glass and blood there was nothing out of place, and it was driving him crazy!

His heart began to crash in his chest as the anger mounted. There were few things that made him upset or angry, but not being able to help his friends when they were in need took the cake. He just could not help it, he felt as if he was failing them by not discovering the clue that led to them, and that feeling of failure was turning to rage inside of his chest. He could feel the energy mounting, threatening to send him into the avatar state. If he wasn't careful he would destroy the mountainside and any chance he had at finding his friends.

Eventually he took a seat on a rock, taking in deep breaths. He had to relax and keep a clear head to find his friends. If he was storming about he would more than likely miss the clue he was searching for. Or, if he was in the avatar state, he would destroy it. What he needed to do was to look at it from a different perspective.

He shot up to his feet, an idea striking him.

From a different perspective! An earthly perspective! He could use his Earthbending sight to check and see if something was out of place, something that he missed. He shook his head. How had he not thought of this earlier?

Quickly he kicked off his boot, stripping his socks off and planting his feet firmly on the stone. He almost jumped back as the freezing rock touched his bare skin, but he forced them down. If Toph could do it he could do it. He calmed himself and reached out to the earth around him, closing his eyes and focusing.

It was hard to see past the frigid cold, it blurred his vision and numbed his feet, but he could definitely see something that he could not see before. Walking over, Aang made sure to keep clear of the volcanic glass, his big toe still throbbing slightly from his last run in. He walked over towards the strange thing he was sensing. It was like a cone or sliver or something of the sort below the earth. It looked fuzzy to him, his feet already going numb, but it was there.

Walking over to a spot directly above it, Aang tossed a fireball at the ground, stepping on it after it had went out. The rock, blasted by the fire, was now warm, spreading its revitalizing energy to his feet and allowing them to see clearer. He could see what it was beneath him. A tunnel.

Hopping back, Aang stomped on the ground, bringing the mouth of the tunnel to the surface. He peered inside the opening, feeling as if he was looking into an abyss filled with night. There was nothing to see, just black rock and darkness spreading further and further back, an eternal night.

His earth sight told him that the cavern kept going on, further and further into the mountain, but he could not see anything. Even the sunlight merely illuminated the first few feet of the tunnel, dying out sooner than it should.

"Sokka! Toph!" He called out, the tunnel throwing his voice back at him as it echoed down into the ground. There was no response. For a moment Aang thought about going back to put his boots and socks on, but he thought better of it, thinking that he might need his Earthbending sight as he moved through the tunnel.

Stepping in, he felt a wave of dread overtake him, freezing him at the entrance. There was something unnatural about this tunnel. The walls were carven from stone, or at least, he thought they were carven. A spherical pattern ran down the entire tunnel, running down, down, almost as if it had been eaten through by a giant worm. Aang stopped and thought for a moment. Did he know of any giant worms in the fire-nation?

Steeling his resolve, he lit a flame in his hand, stepping into the tunnel. He moved on, fighting his way past his dread, but it kept mounting. His fire seemed only to reach out a foot or so, just enough to illuminate the path at his feet, but nothing beyond that. When he tried to throw a fireball down the tunnel he lost sight of it within the first few feet of its flight, being enveloped by the night that rested in the tunnel. Even when he turned back he could not see the mouth of the tunnel, the sunlight extinguished as it entered the abyss. The only way he knew it was there was through his Earthbending sight. Creepy.

Continuing on, he began to hear noises. Not anything tangible or real, but soft whispers, starting at the base of his skull and working their way up through his brain. They whispered incoherent words to him, dark images of bleeding corpses and fiery serpents flashing past his eyes. A few times he believed he heard something behind him, but when he turned there was nothing. Even his earth sight told him that he was alone, but somehow he just did not feel alone.

As he went on the voices became more intense, whispering to him, speaking to him, but not in words, merely eerie breaths. Soon they began to sound like the final breaths of the dying, long groans and moans that made his skin stand on end.

As he continued walking he started to hear another noise. After a while he realized that it was the sound of splashing liquid at his feet. Looking down, he was shocked to see the ground moving with a thick, red liquid. It splashed up to his ankles, a sickly warm smell coming up to his nostrils. Blood.

He wanted to hurl, the sight of it sickening him so. He leaned up against the wall of the tunnel to catch his breath only to find it to coated in blood, the thick liquid dripping down and onto his hands, running between his fingers. The entire tunnel started to fill with the sickly substance, the stuff rushing up and threatening to drown him.

He began to panic. The blood was rising higher and higher, pressing against him from all sides. His hands were shaking as the sticky substance washed over him. The sound of screams soon began to bounce around in his head, high pitches filled with pain.

Closing his eyes, he tried to steady himself, using his Earthbending to keep him planted. He took in deep breaths, trying to shut out the screams and fix his mind on escaping the rising blood. The voices inside his head ceased, dispersing from his mind. Along with them went sensation of the hot liquid, vanishing in an instant. Opening his eyes he looked around, noticing that there was nothing in the tunnel except him. He was perfectly dry, not a spot or stain on him. The tunnel was once again what it was before, a tunnel of stone.

Aang shook his head. There was something dreadfully wrong here. A spirit must be haunting these walls, some tormented being that projected its pain on others. He had to fight it, to keep calm and find his friends. All he had experienced was a hallucination, but that still did not mean that it could not be dangerous.

Keeping his eyes shut, Aang continued on with only his earth sight, killing the flame all together. If he could not see the hallucinations then they could not bother him. Hopefully.

For a while the tunnel was silent, the only sound was that of his own breathing and the patter of his feet. No images or noises disturbed him, and he was beginning to believe that he had bested the spirit. As he went further down, though, it grew hotter and hotter. Soon he even began to sweat, the tunnel reaching unnatural levels of warmth. It felt moist as well, as if there was a lot of water in the air, but when he tried to bend it out like Katara had shone him nothing came.

Trying to ignore the strange heat, he continued on, marching down the tunnel in search of his friends. Every now and again he would stop and call out their names, fearful of some dark creature calling back to him, but the only noise that he heard was that of his own echo. It seemed as if the spirit could not harm him if he did not have his eyes open.

Eventually he came to a fork in the road, with three paths expanding in front of him. They all continued in their downward descent, but they split off in different directions. One went straight, the other went to the left, and the other veered off to the right. They all held a dreadful feeling, evil seeping out almost like a substance.

Aang came to a stop, pondering upon which path to take. He began to feel panicked at the thought of being lost in this tunnel. He had no clue where these paths would lead, or if Sokka and Toph were even in them. For all he knew he might have just found some haunted tunnel within the mountain that had not been used for years. His friends could very well be in some other cave, or with Joshua, or dead, buried six feet under never to be seen again.

Aang shook himself. He could not think like that! He needed to keep his courage up. They were alive, they had to be, and he was going to find them. He had to focus on the paths though, one wrong path could cost Sokka and Toph time that they did not have.

But why did they have to be alive? He stopped to think about it. He had heard Jack's story from the prison. Guards with chests blown open and flies picking at their stilled hearts. Toph and Sokka could very well be like that, just two corpses with shattered ribs and exposed organs. Flies and other creatures could be crawling all over them, gorging themselves on their flesh. Aang shook himself.

"There weren't any flies in Jack's story!" He said aloud. Something was wrong, something was playing with his head again.

There were flies, though, weren't there? Surely dead corpses, dripping blood with severed heads would attract flies? That was not so unreasonable, was it?

"Stop it. Get out of my head!" He said, putting his hands over his ears, but he could not stop the thoughts, they just kept coming. Images of Toph and Sokka, their bodies broken and twisted, danced inside his head. He kept imagining their deaths, the many different horrific ways that they were slain, their bodies being picked at by carrion.

Falling to his knees, Aang shut his eyes even tighter, putting his hands to his head, trying to calm himself. He needed to do something, he needed to settle the spirit. He was the avatar, he needed to bridge the gap between the worlds and put this spirit to rest. He could do it.

Aang tried to place himself in a mediating stance, crossing his feet and relaxing his breathing, but he could not do it. He found that he was crying, sobbing loudly. Tears streamed down his face as image after image flashed before his mind, the sound of his friends crying out in pain now accompanying the colors. He tried to meditate, to enter the spirit world, but he was so flooded by emotion and grief that it was useless.

Just like this search. He was not going to find them. They were already dead. Just another two marks on a long list of names that he carried with him.

"No, they're still alive! Why else would you be tormenting me like this!?" Cried Aang, fighting the words out through his tears.

Sure, maybe they were alive. Maybe they were trapped in the tunnel, just like he was. Maybe whatever evil spirit that was tormenting him held them at the center of this abyss, torturing them and destroying their spirits. That was why he was hearing screams, they were real. It was his friends in pain, suffering and calling out for aid while he sat up here cowering in a withered heap like some trembling child. Pathetic.

Aang let his body fall to the ground, grabbing his knees and bringing them up to his chest. He sobbed loudly, wishing that the thoughts would stop. He wanted calm, he wanted peace! He had been through so much to bring peace to the world, he did not deserve this.

The thoughts, however, kept haunting him, growing and intensifying. Soon his other friends were being thrown in as well; Jack, Zuko, Suki, and finally, Katara. He watched them inside his head, dying over and over again, suffering in flames and spikes and darkness. Finally he could not take it anymore. He had to get out of his own head. He would take anything rather than this. He opened his eyes, hoping for relief, but what he found was worse than anything his imagination could have ever produced.

* * *

Zuko awoke to someone reaching inside his abdomen, a rather rude awakening. He cried out in agony as energy began to pour into his body. He felt as if someone was sticking needles of ice into his flesh and pulling it shut. A freezing sensation began to spread in his gut, numbing the rest of his organs. Eventually it reached up to his vocal chords, freezing the scream in his voice. It built up inside him, rushing through his veins. He felt as if he was about to explode, if he had to hold this scream inside of him any longer he would fry his brains.

Just when he thought that he could not last anymore, a calming sensation spread over his body, the scream ebbing out of his body. The freezing sensation turned to a slight chill that relaxed him. He eased up, realizing that he had been sitting up. Falling back down, he landed on something hard; wood. He breathed out a heavy sigh, but it was short lived as the pain returned, fiery and fierce.

"Hold him still. Just hold him still. I need more time to patch it up!" Hands began to push down on him as his spine arched, the pain coming back even worse than before. The freezing sensation returned and spread throughout his body. He screamed out in agony; it felt like someone was taking icicles and shoving them into his stomach.

"Hold him still! I can't do this when…Oww! I said hold him still, can't you do anything right?!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Zuko tried to keep himself still. He knew that it was his friends voices that he heard and that they were just trying to help, but it was useless. The pain was too intense. He kept thrashing about, his arms and legs flailing out. He felt two strong arms grabbing one of his legs, and another set grabbing him with the feeling of iron. He kept crying out in pain.

"Put a gag in his mouth! Put a gag in his mouth!"

"Why isn't he healed yet? I thought you were good at this type of thing?"

"Something's not right! There's something else in him, something bad. It's trying to spread through him like a virus!"

"Well stop talking and get it out of him!"

"If you were to hold him down it would be easier!" Someone shoved something in his mouth, a piece of leather. He bit down on it hard, his screams becoming muffled as the pain ebbed and flowed.

The process continued on. The freezing sensation spreading and retracting. Every time the calming sensation came back it was replaced by a coursing fire that blinded him and redoubled the pain. His spine would flex to the point of breaking, his body struggling against those holding him, then he would freeze again, the fire being forced out and the calm spreading once more only for the process to be repeated. Eventually the fingers stopped stabbing into his flesh.

"Give me a knife!"

"What?! What do you need a knife for?"

"I need to cut him open!"

"We want you to heal him not kill him!"

"The wound is healed only physically, I need to get the spirit out!"

"What spirit? What are you talking about!?"

"Shut up! Just give her…ohh, never mind. Just use this!"

"If you touch him…"

"Azula, shut up! Let her do her job!" Zuko felt someone cutting down into his gut, the blade sinking in deep. He struggled against the pain, but he the hands kept him down, so he just focused on screaming into his gag. Fingers were jabbed inside his flesh, the freezing sensation redoubling and spreading through his entire body. The fire tried to fight back, burning into his stomach, but the cold finally quelled it. The fingers jumped out of his stomach, and there was a loud clap like thunder, then silence. The fingers came back, this time lighter, with the calming sensation coming back to stay. He began to breathe slower, his body relaxing as the muscle and skin healed. The hands eased off of him, letting him go.

"I think that did it."

"I say. That looked like an evil spirit leaving the room." Zuko coughed, turning on his side as his gut stopped flashing in fiery fits of agony. He felt a hand running along his face.

"Zuko? Zuko? Are you alright?" He looked up, a face developing in his blurry sight. Raven black hair sat tossed, a concerned look sitting on her face.

"Azula?" He said weakly. The face smiled.

"No, it's me, Mai." She said softly. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, the sensation only a fuzzy blur. Zuko blinked, his vision clearing up. Mai's face formed before him, a soft smile sitting on her lips, concern showing in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Zuko tried to force himself to a sitting position, but his hand slipped in something sticky and warm. Mai caught him before he slammed back down on the table.

"Whoa, careful there." She said, helping him up. Zuko looked beneath him, noticing the wood and white bandages, all coated in blood. His blood. He shook his head.

"Wha…What happened?" He asked, his memory blurry.

"Joshua. You and he were fighting, he stabbed you." Zuko placed his hand on his stomach, noticing that his shirt was gone. A red mark sat on his stomach, and another one on his chest, but that was from Azula's lightning. Other than those marks, however, there was nothing. He looked up to see Katara staring at him, a red mark on her cheek.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. Sweat was pouring down her face, her hair a mess, tangled and tossed about. She looked exhausted.

"I feel fine. A bit weak." He said as he stood up, leaning against Mai. "But other than that, not too bad." Katara smiled.

"You don't feel anything strange? Anything out of place? Like something extra inside?" She asked. Zuko thought that it was a strange inquiry, but he took a moment to think through it. His body was weak and weary, with a slight throb in his stomach, but other than that he felt fine. Nothing was out of place.

"No, everything feels fine." He said. Jack came up to him, lifting one of his eyelids up and looking into his eye.

"He looks good." He said. Katara came over and gruffly pushed him to the side.

"What would you know about spirits? Let me look." She huffed, taking a moment to look into both of Zuko's eyes. She proceeded to check his hands and also his heart, pressing her ear to his chest.

"Everything feels and sounds good." She said, stepping back.

"Thank you Katara. I'm assuming that I owe you my life." Said Zuko. She smiled at him, a soft radiant smile, like that of a caring mother.

"Nothing I wouldn't do for a friend." She replied. The sound of someone clearing their throat grabbed his attention. He turned to look to his left, realizing that Azula was in the room.

"You know, Zuzu, if it weren't for me Joshua probably would have gutted you on the spot. I also saved your life." She said. Zuko dipped his head.

"Thanks Azula, I guess I owe you my life as well." Azula huffed.

"Not like I didn't have it before." She said, slowly moving about the room. Jack grabbed her by the arm and forced her down to a chair.

"Sit." He growled. Azula shook his grasp off.

"Easy there big boy, I'm not trying anything." She said. "Do you really think that I want to be on my own with that lunatic out and about? I'm good, but I know there's safety in numbers." She said, crossing her arms and legs. Zuko blinked, his mind still clearing.

"Wait, he's still out there?" He asked. Jack scratched the back of his head.

"Ya, about that." Zuko took a step on his own, standing by his own strength. Mai kept a half a step or so behind him.

"You mean to tell me that both of you had him, and he managed to get away?" He said, his anger slowly rising and clearing his head.

"It's not that simple Zuzu." Started Azula. Zuko brought his fist crashing down on the table, startling everyone.

"How could you let him get away!?" He demanded. Everyone seemed taken aback for a moment, save for Azula, who merely blew a wisp of hair away from her face.

"We had him, in the garden, but then there was this flash of light and a thick black cloud, and he was gone." She said. Zuko shook his head.

"You were distracted by a flash of light? Really? What are you, amateurs?!" Zuko felt the anger burning inside his chest like a fire; he knew he needed to calm down, but this brush with death had him somewhat irked. He could afford to let out a bit of steam on his friends, and sister.

"You know that it's not that simple Zuzu. Joshua knows this palace as well as we do. I doubt you knew about the old escape tunnels." She said. Zuko shook his head, turning his hot gaze on his sister.

"Azula, I am sick and tired of you calling me that! Knock it off!" He yelled. Azula shut her mouth.

"Besides." Said Zuko, continuing on. "I thought that you were better than him? Why didn't you take him out when you had the chance?" He said. Azula sat there, shrugging her shoulders with cold indifference.

"What can I say? I hit him straight on with a bolt of lightning and shot him through the wall and into the garden. That should have been enough, but he just got back up and kept fighting, acting as if nothing had happened." Zuko remembered the way that Joshua had shaken off his fire attack. It was strange.

"Still, I thought that you were better than all of us Azula? And not only do you manage to be taken captive, but you also can't finish him off when you get the chance." He said. Azula's brow furled.

"Don't blame this on me Zuko. I'm not the one who's supposed to be ruling right now. I was in prison, in the psycho ward, remember?" Zuko felt any semblance of calm slip from his grasp.

"Don't blame you?" He said, taking a step closer. "Don't blame you? Are you kidding me!?" Azula sat perfectly still, staring at him with her cold, golden eyes.

"You were the one who told father about their abilities. You were the one who tortured and tormented him for years. And you're the reason he's back in the first place! If it wasn't for you Suki would still be alive!" Azula stared at him without a flicker of emotion.

"Well, it is a shame that your little friend is dead." She said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "I was rather found of her; we always had interesting sessions in our prison visits. I was actually hoping that she would come pay me a visit sometime and maybe reverse the roles." Zuko felt a vein throbbing in his forehead, pulsing as his anger spiraled out of control. He wanted to smack her, to knock some sympathy into her, but he knew that it would do nothing. He took a step back. What would mother do?

He turned around, taking in a deep breath and pinching his nose.

"Besides." Said Azula, still speaking. "I already tried killing him before. It's not my fault he didn't stay dead." Zuko turned back to Azula. So he hadn't been imaging it. The others also stared at her, confused looks on their faces.

"What do you mean? How can someone not stay dead?" Asked Katara. Azula laughed.

"You should know better than most, snow peasant, it was you that brought the avatar back from the dead, wasn't it?" A glower came over Katara's face. Zuko shook his head. Leave it to Azula to alienate herself immediately from the people who had been so dedicated in their search to rescue her.

"Azula, just tell them what happened." He said.

"As you wish, Fire-Lord Zuko." She said, with a mock bow. Jack whistled.

"Hey, Jemnile, if you really were speaking the truth back in your cell, now would be a good time to start showing it." Azula stared at him for a few moments, ambivalence sparking across her face. Zuko looked over at Jack, confused at the exchange, but Azula went ahead and spoke, leaving out her condescending attitude as much as she could, which, albeit, was not much.

"Back during the war father came to the decision that we would never break Joshua. He was too fierce, too bent on revenge for what had happened to him, he would never come to our side, so he ordered his execution. Zuko and I carried it out. It was about a week before your banishment, wasn't it brother dear?" She asked, a slight smile on her face. Zuko stared at her, trying to hide his disdain.

"Well, anyways." Said Azula, continuing on with her story. "We decided that we would be fair with him and give him a quick death, a hanging." A disgusted look came over Katara's face.

"You sicken me. First you turn on him then you execute him; no wonder you have no friends." Azula eyes sparked for a moment, but she brushed off the comment, moving on.

"When the day came we carried out the execution. It went just as it was supposed to, his neck snapped and he died instantly. Zuko, being the squeamish fellow he is, took off right afterwards. I, however, stayed, taking care of the body. I had a nice funeral arrangement made and everything, but something happened." Azula's eyes fogged over as she recalled the memory.

"I was sitting there looking at his body, paying one last farewell, when suddenly his neck began to pop. It snapped back into place and he drew in a breath. His eyes flew open, completely black, then they shut again. He was passed out, but alive. After I had him taken back to his cell I ordered the prison medical examiner to look at him. He said that he was in perfect health. Mind you this was the same examiner who only a few minutes ago had said that he was dead with a cleanly snapped neck." Katara snorted.

"That's preposterous. Do you really expect us to believe that he magically came back from the dead? I bet that you just kept him alive so you could torment him more." Zuko shook his head.

"No, I was there. He was really dead." He said. Katara still did not look convinced, but she did not say anything more.

"Well, why didn't he stay dead?" Asked Ty-Lee, standing off to the side. Zuko had not noticed her.

"Isn't that the big question right now?" Replied Azula. Everyone sat around, scratching their heads and thinking.

"Maybe he has healing abilities." Said Ty-Lee. Zuko thought about it for a moment. It was not too farfetched of an idea.

"Or maybe he got bored being dead and decided to start living again." Replied Katara. Ty-Lee frowned, angered by Katara's response.

"You have healing abilities, why is it so hard to believe that others can have them too?" Asked Ty-Lee. Katara snorted.

"I'm a waterbender, we're born with that sort of ability because water is calming and nourishing. I doubt that fire can say as much." Ty-Lee huffed.

"Well, I think it's still a possibility. It's not like you're some unique little gem. It's not such a big leap to assume someone else has healing abilities better than yours." Katara seemed caught off guard by Ty-Lee's retort, not expecting the flippant circus performer to come up with anything.

"Are you insulting me?" Said Katara.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Replied Ty-Lee, taking a step towards Katara. The two looked ready to exchange blows. Zuko almost rolled his eyes. This was exactly what they needed at the moment, a fight between themselves.

"Hey, both of you, back off!" Said Zuko, coming between them. "Joshua is already tearing us apart, we don't need to help him." The two looked away, still angry, but heeding his demands. Zuko turned back to Azula, an amused grin sitting on her bruised face.

"Did Joshua have any healing abilities?" He asked. Azula shook her head.

"As brilliant as an idea as it was Ty-Lee, I'm afraid that dear Joshua had a tendency to break things, not fix them. I've never witnessed any healing abilities." She said. Zuko nodded his head.

"Jack?" Jack shook his head.

"No, Josh didn't have any healing abilities. Believe me, there were plenty of occasions that he would have loved to have it, but he never used it if he did."

"Then what do you think it was?' Asked Zuko. Jack stroked his chin, tiny bits of stubble gritting against his fingers.

"Joshua always did have a fascination with the spirit world. As much as I asked him not to dabble in it he still did, and there was more than one occasion when he actually managed to get in contact with one. I would say that he's made a deal with an angered spirit. Someone that is willing to use him to get back at humanity for some odd reason or the other." Katara snorted.

"Please. What makes you think it was an evil spirit?" She said.

"The black eyes." Said Zuko.

"Him shaking off a lightning bolt and flying through a wall." Said Azula.

"And the evil spirit fragment that you just pulled out of Zuko." Added Jack. Katara crossed her arms.

"Well, there could be other reasons for that." She mumbled, annoyed that the others had backed Jack. Zuko shook his head.

"No, I think Jack's right. When he died he must have run into some demented spirit that he made a deal with. Knowing Joshua he would sell anything to get what he wants." Said Mai, chiming in on the conversation.

"And what is it that he wants?" Asked Katara. Zuko looked at his childhood companions, those that had grown up with Joshua.

"To kill us all." Said Mai.

"And to do it as slowly and as painfully as possible." Said Jack.

"He wants to break every single one of us. To strip us of everything that we care about and then grind it into the dust. He wants us to feel what I put him through, and he doesn't care what it takes." Said Azula, looking at her nails as she spoke.

"So then, we're all targets?" Said Katara. Zuko nodded his head.

"I'm afraid so. None of us are safe. You're associated with us, you've been with us, we care about you. You can bet that he's going to go after you, all of you, and kill you. He'll burn us all, and he'll laugh while he's doing it."

"Well at least he'll have a good time destroying everything we built." Said Jack. Azula smiled. Katara just shook her head disgusted.

"I can't believe you. You disgust me." She said, storming out of the room.

"Mai, can you stay with her?" Asked Zuko, he did not want anyone alone at the moment. Mai nodded her head, pressing her lips against his cheek for a moment before she left. Zuko placed a hand to the spot she touched, relishing the warm, soft feeling of her lips against his skin. Azula laughed.

"Look at you Zuzu. You've become so mushy lately. No wonder Joshua managed to beat you." She said. Zuko stared at her.

"You know, you could be a bit more appreciative considering the fact that we saved you from him." Azula shrugged her shoulders.

"I would have escaped by myself eventually." She said. Zuko bit his tongue, anger and pain flaring up inside of him. He was mad at her for being so unappreciative for what he had done and being indifferent towards his situation, but he was also hurt that she displayed no feelings of affection or gratitude towards him, her older brother, who had just hunted down and saved her from a crazy maniac. Not to mention he took a knife to the stomach and a fragment of an evil spirit in the process, all for her. Yet she still seemed to not care at all. He shook his head.

"Lock her up." He said, turning and walking away. Azula sat up in surprise.

"What?!" She exclaimed. Jack did not bother questioning Zuko, encasing her hands in diamond cuffs.

"You can't put me back in jail. He'll come back! He'll get to me!" Zuko stood still. Apparently this was not how she had calculated his reaction.

"You'll just escape by yourself, won't you?" He said over his shoulder. Azula struggled against Jack's grip on her shoulder.

"Come on Zuzu, you know I just like to give you a hard time. You don't want to do this." She said. Zuko turned on her, fire leaping from his eyes.

"I don't want to do this? I don't want to do this!? Azula, you leave me no choice! I do my best for you. I'm trying to be the loving and caring older brother but you give me nothing! Aang was more appreciative when I saved him from Zhao just to try and capture him again than you've ever been to me for anything!" He yelled. Azula seemed deflated by his outburst.

"That's not true. I've been appreciative before." She said, her voice low.

"Name one!" He yelled. She stood there, thinking for a moment.

"When you came back to us at Ba Sing Sey, I gave you the credit for killing the avatar, it got you a lot of acclamation at home."

"You did that because you knew he was still alive and wanted me to take the blame." Azula thought some more.

"When you went to see Uncle Iroh in prison, I told you not to go see him because someone might get the wrong idea and think you were plotting with him."

"You didn't want me to go because you made the decision to take me back in and if it seemed like I was conspiring with Uncle Iroh then it would demonstrate a breach in judgment on your part." Azula started to look desperate, racking her brains for something, anything that she had not used as a ploy to get at something or to protect herself.

"I shot Uncle Iroh with lightning instead of you."

"He was distracted at the moment."

"I let up on my pursuit of you for a while"

"You were hunting the avatar instead of me knowing that I would go after the avatar anyways."

"I attacked Joshua instead of letting him kill you."

"You were seeking personal vengeance."

"I let you play in our game!"

"No, you made me play in your game! And then you used the opportunity to embarrass me in front of the girl you knew I liked!" Azula threw up her hands, or at least, she tried, as they were encased in a block of diamond.

"Fine, you win! You've proven that I'm the worst sister in history, happy now?!"

"No I'm not happy now." Said Zuko. "I don't want to win. This isn't a competition to try and be the better sibling. We both screwed up big time. I just want to start having a real relationship with you. One where we aren't at each other's throats every five seconds. One where we don't plot behind each other's back and try to burn each other. I love you Azula, as hard as that is for me and as hard as it is for you to comprehend it's true. I just want you to love me back." He said.

Azula stood there, silent, listening to his words. When he was finished she thought for a moment, trying to figure out a proper response. He watched her closely, trying to discern what was going on behind those menacing golden eyes. He wanted her desperately to affirm his feelings, to tell him that she felt the same way, even in the slightest form. All he wanted was for her to love him and he her, was that so much to ask?

For a moment Azula seemed distracted, staring off behind him with a strange look in her eyes. They flashed momentarily, her lips forming something he did not catch.

"Azula?" He said. She snapped back to him, her eyes once more focused and controlled. Finally, after a long pause, she spoke.

"Zuko, we are not the normal pair of siblings, and we will never be that." She started. Zuko's heart leapt up into his throat. Was she going to tell him that they could at least be something? Anything, no matter how perverted or distorted? Azula kept speaking.

"Your emotions are meaningless to me, and I do not reciprocate your feelings. They are useless and a sign of weakness. Do to me what you will, but I will never love you. You are just like anyone else, just a pawn to be used and to be taken advantaged of if possible." She said, her voice flat. Zuko let out a breath he did not know he was holding. He felt like a knife was cutting through his heart with her every word. What she said hurt him worse than any blade that Joshua could slice him with, or any spirit that could seep into his veins. Her words were utterly devastating. Jack and Ty-Lee stood awkwardly to the side, obviously unsure as to what they should do.

"If that's how you feel." Said Zuko, controlling his emotions.

"That's just it, brother." She said, spitting the last word out with disdain. "I don't." Zuko nodded his head, an empty feeling spreading through his body.

"Very well." He said. The others stood there, staring at him, waiting for him to say something, anything. A plan, an idea, an order to follow, but he did nothing. Turning back around, he began to walk out of the room, leaving them all behind.

"Zuko, Zuko! What are you going to do with me?" Called Azula. Zuko paused in the doorway, his heart turning to stone.

"We're all just pawns, aren't we? I think it's about time that I used you." He said. "Chain her in the garden, hands, feet, and mouth, all bound and gagged. I don't want her able to move, and I don't want her able to speak. We're going to set out some bait for our prey."

He could hear the sound of her thrashing about as Jack moved her out. She called out at him, calling his name and cursing him, but he did not turn. He walked away, leaving the others behind in the room, making his way out into the hall and on to his throne room.

Shoving the massive doors to, he entered, looking about the dark room. He light the flame moat, staring into the inferno and imaging his body being consumed. Taking in a deep breath he looked around him, around at the banners and stone pillars. He looked about him at all the grandeur, all the opulence of his office, all the power it provided, and he felt completely hallow, utterly useless. And then, he began to sob.


	9. Don't Trust Your Sister

**Chapter IX**

Something was wrong, dreadfully wrong. Pain was haunting him, racing after him. He felt as if something had chewed off his feet, the agony so intense that he could barely think. When he opened his eyes there was nothing but blackness, thicker than night and pressing around him, threatening to cut off his breath. He tried to put his hand in front of his face, but he could not even see an outline of it. There was no light at all, anywhere, only night.

He felt around himself, noting the cold, rough, stone all around him, a sharp piece even cutting his palm. The sound of dripping water came along with it, a drop falling on his head, making him blink. It appeared as if he was in some sort of cave or tunnel.

Of course you're in a tunnel, idiot, that's why you can't see anything. It's not like your blind.

The thought struck him for a moment. Had he gone blind? There was no way to tell, but since the air was so still and his skin did not sense the touch of the sun he assumed he was in a tunnel. He liked it better that way.

Feeling the area around him he came across another person, their huddled frame laying still, the only movement the slight rise and fall of their body as they breathed. Panic shot through him as his memories returned and he realized what had happened.

"Toph! Toph! Wake up!" Called Sokka, shaking his friend's shoulder, but she did not stir. She just lay there, breathing. He checked her pulse, relieved to find it still beating strong. Feeling her body, he searched her for any injuries, as best he could without light. There was blood both on her head and her feet, the soles of her feet flapping around, the flesh all torn and dripping blood. He imagined that was what his feet were like as well.

Taking off his shirt, he tore off strips of his sleeves, wrapping them around her feet and tying them tight. He heard her groan slightly as he wrapped her feet, but she did not wake.

"Sorry Toph." He muttered, tightening the wrap around her other foot. Once that was done he did the same for himself, crying out in pain and shaking as he tightened the wraps. His hands shook as he pulled on the tie, a soft squish following along with the tightening of the cloth. He could hear liquid run down and onto the floor from his foot, no doubt a river of blood leaving his body.

Once he was done he laid back, his body shaking like a throb. He tried to calm his breath, settling his heart rate and letting him think clearer. He did not know where he was, but he did know that he was in a tunnel and that if they had entered then they could exit. That meant that he needed to stand up and walk out with Toph if she did not wake up.

He crawled back over to Toph, trying to rose her once more, but she was out cold, asleep to the world. He was going to have to find a way out for them. That, or he could just get out himself and come back for Toph later.

He shook his head. No, he would not abandon his friend. Either they both got out together or she got out. There was no way it was just going to be him walking out, even though that was the easiest solution.

Putting his hand on the wall of the tunnel, Sokka made his way to his feet, placing first one foot flat, then the other. He shook with agony, gritting his teeth as his weight went down to his shredded feet. It felt like knives piercing his soles with flames spreading along the blade. He began to sway, the pain almost becoming too much for him, but he did not fall. Once the pain became more manageable he made his way back over to Toph, bending over and feeling around for her.

"Come on kid, we're getting out of here." He said, more to himself than to Toph's unconscious form. Once he had found her he squatted down and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. He screamed out as the pain doubled, rushing up to his brain and making spots dance before his eyes, even in the darkness. His knees started to wobble, his body threatening to fall back into unconsciousness, but he bit his tongue, forcing himself to remain standing.

"I…will…not…fall!" He growled, staring straight ahead into the darkness. Eventually the pain fell to a tolerable level, or, at least to a level that did not make him pass out. It was going to have to be good enough.

Sokka took a step in both directions, testing to see which way he should go. Pain flared up with each step, the feeling of teeth biting into his flesh making him shake, but he stayed on his feet.

After regaining his sense of orientation he realized that one direction headed slightly up, while the other direction headed slightly down. He was now going to have to choose between going up, or down. Make a mistake, and more than likely they were both dead.

"In hell, the only way up is down." He said, turning around and making his way down, further into the earth. Pain came at him, dulling his mind and trying to force him to give up, but he would not yield, he had to make it out.

Each step was a struggle, the agony that he endured almost too much for him, but he had suffered worse. He just kept telling himself that physical pain was only temporary but leaving Toph behind would haunt him forever. He could not add another name to the list he carried, it would be too much for him, so he marched on.

Toph was not too heavy a burden, but with every step her weight seemed to grow. Her small frame seemed to be adding pounds, dragging him down more and more. He was strong, but even his strength had limits. He had to get out before he gave out.

The air, warming as he went, made him sweat in torrents, making it harder for him to hold on to her in a comfortable position. Every time he had to reposition her he almost passed out, the pain intensifying so, but every time he fought his way through, keeping himself erect.

Eventually, as he made his way on, the thought occurred to him to leave Toph once more. If he left her he could get out sooner and come back with help. If he kept trying to carry her out though he might faint or give out, then they would both be stuck inside the tunnel with their only escape being if someone found them. Plus, if he put her down, he would be in less pain and would be able to think clearer, maybe he would be able to come up with a better plan of escape.

Sokka stopped for a moment, shaking his head. No, he could not put Toph down. He had lost his mother, Yue, and Suki, and many others he did not care to name, he was not going to even risk losing Toph. She was the best friend that he had ever had. He would have to just grit his teeth and push past the pain, it's what she would have done if their position were reversed.

Well, not exactly. She had her Earthbending. She would probably just make some sort of sled and start dragging them out while sitting down. That way she wouldn't have to stand on her damaged feet. He grunted.

"Man, what I would give to be an earthbender." Said Sokka, continuing on through the tunnel. "What I would give to be a bender." He muttered.

Eventually, as he kept moving on, the thought came up again, an annoying nagging at the back of his head that told him to leave her and fend for himself. This time the thought made him take pause. What was going on? In any other situation this thought would have occurred once and then would have left for good, his mind not being able to hold on to much once dismissed, but now it had come back three times. It was almost as if something was trying to make him leave her.

He looked behind his shoulder, half expecting to see some evil spirit drooling, waiting for him to put down his friend so that it could devour her and munch on her bones, but there was nothing, just night.

Shaking his head he kept moving on, determining to not even entertain any notion of leaving Toph behind. Like he had said earlier; it was either both of them or her, there was no way that he was getting out of here with only him, he would not allow it.

As he walked and his burden grew so did a feeling of dread. It had started as a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach and had grown to spread throughout his whole body. Every step brought another wave that threatened to swallow him along with his pain, but he kept moving, focusing on putting one step ahead of the other.

"You won't make it." Hissed a voice, hot liquid splashing onto the floor and covering his feet. Sokka would have jumped, if he could have, but looked up instead, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Who said that? Who's there?" He asked, his voice trembling with fear. There was nothing, no one around him. The hot liquid at his feet disappeared, leaving them dry. The only sound was that of his heavy breathing and the drip of water… or was it blood?

Give up now, just lay down and die, it won't be too bad.

Sokka froze, hearing the voice in his head, a sinister noise like the hissing of a thousand snakes. There was something else in this tunnel with them, something evil.

He turned to look behind him, then in front. He looked at the darkness, and suddenly he realized why it was it seemed so strange. It wasn't just the absence of light, but rather it was its own entity. The darkness was a physical presence, a dark spirit, pressing in on him and tormenting his every step. It was an evil spirit!

The realization created a strange reaction in Sokka. Realizing that he was facing an evil spirit bent on his demise, he began to laugh. He laughed out loud, long and hard, the whole tunnel echoing the sound of his tortured amusement.

"A spirit? Really, an evil spirit here to torment me? Uhh, gosh, can you throw anything else at me?!" He screamed, turning around and looking up at the ceiling.

"Come on God, I know you can hear me in here!" He cried, his frustrations pouring out. "I'm not yelling at karma, or the universe, I'm yelling at you! Why don't you go ahead and give me more! It's not like I haven't lost enough already!" He screamed, tears trickling down his face. He was angry at the world. He was angry at life. Above all, he was angry at God.

If there really was some person sitting up there in the clouds with heavenly power and might He must have liked to torment him. He had lost much in his life, too much. Suki, Yue, his Mother, almost all his friends in the Southern Water-Tribe, the list kept going on and on. He had been almost useless to Aang and the others in their quest to defeat the Fire-Lord, the only thing he contributed being comic relief when the others were bored. His little sister, the one he was supposed to protect, was one of the world's greatest waterbenders and healers. The only water he could bend was the puddles he splashed in. His sword skills were mediocre at best compared to a true master like Piandao or Zuko, and his boomerang had done nothing but hit Sparky-Sparky Boom-Man by accident, the one thing he could chalk up after a life of mediocrity. It just sucked to be him.

Sokka shook his head. Ya, if there was a God, He sure did like to mess with him. Guess God needed a laugh every now and again too.

Sighing, he kept walking down the tunnel.

"Go ahead God, give me your worst shot, not like I care anymore." He said under his breath, despondent.

Don't tell God to give you more, tell me.

Sokka kept moving, ignoring the voice of the spirit bouncing around in his head.

But you can't ignore me, can you Sokka? I'm right here, all around you. You'll never escape. You're not good enough. You'll get to play with me for all eternity.

"Ohh, really? Well, I like games, what are we going to play?" He said out loud, marching on. The spirit was silent, apparently caught off guard by his remark.

"Come on, give me a game! I want to play!" He called out, forcing his feet to keep moving. For a while there was silence, even in his head and he was beginning to think that he had stumped the spirit. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and the walls started to glow a dark crimson. Sokka blinked, forcing himself forward and onwards. He looked at the walls of the tunnel, the glowing crimson moving and flowing like blood. He did not bother touching it, but rather moved to the center, relinquishing the aid of the wall and completely standing on his own, making his way through what he felt a vein must have looked like.

As he moved on images began to flicker on the wall. He looked up to see contorted faces, withering in pain before him. Soft screams began to play at the base of his skull, tugging at his sanity as they tried to drive him mad. They pressed against the wall, looking at him with their tormented gazes. He looked away, the images disturbing him. Eventually, as he walked, an image of Yue appeared in the wall. The image made him freeze.

He watched as her contorted form was ripped apart by black snakes. Her screams ran down through the whole tunnel, loud and sharp. They hurt his ears they were so loud but he refused to cover them, instead locking his grip tighter onto Toph. Her eyes flashed and locked onto him.

"Sokka! Sokka! How could you abandon me! Why did you let me go!?" She called, staring at him with an accusing look. Sokka felt choked, pierced by her voice. It sounded so much like Yue.

It's because it was Yue. Her soul was trapped in here, being tormented by this evil spirit because you couldn't save her. Great going hero.

Tears of blood began to trail down her pale white face.

"I didn't abandon you!" He finally managed. "You left me." He said, recalling once more the disheartening memory.

He watched as her face was racked by pain, her hair beginning to drip blood.

"But you were there, you could have stopped Zhao." She said. Sokka felt the tears falling down his face.

"Believe me, I tried! I tried my best to save the moon spirit!" He said, his voice faltering.

"You failed." Said Yue "Just like you always do." A whip cracked behind her. She screamed out in pain, her spine arching. Sokka almost dropped Toph.

"Yue! Yue! Please, I didn't mean to let you go! You went away!" He cried, moving towards the wall.

"Why didn't you stop me?" She asked, her eyes beginning to turn black. Sokka shook his head.

"I tried." He croaked, his throat tightening with emotion. His hands began to shake as he watched her writhe in agony.

"Please Sokka, don't fail again. Sokka, save me!" She called, the blackness rushing into her eyes and swallowing them. Sokka felt his heart throb as he looked at her tormented form, the pain and agony that she was in. Slowly he let go of Toph's arm, reaching his hand out to touch Yue's. He could not take it, he could not stand the thought of her being tormented in here. He had to save her! He had to reach out and take her hand. He couldn't fail her again!

His hand trembled as he reached out, her fingers only an inch away from his. All he had to do was take it, to pull her free of the torment. Then she would be with him, then he would be happy once more.

His fingers were just about to brush against her torn skin when Toph began to slip on his back. Acting fast he moved his hand back, his nails digging into her wrist and yanking her back up. He cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards, fighting his way back standing straight. The feeling of warm liquid running down his fingers told him that he had broken skin, but she was still on. She would forgive him when she woke up. He looked back over at the image of Yue, her hand still reaching out to him.

"Please Sokka! I cannot bear it any longer! Save me!" Tears kept falling down his face as he looked at the image, realizing that it was not the real Yue. She was gone, far beyond his reach, to a much better place. This was merely a shade of her, an image invoked to make him stumble, to steer him away from his course. He had to leave.

"You're not real." He said, forcing the painful words from his lips. As much as he would like to believe that it was her, that he could merely reach out and save her, he knew better. The spirit was trying to get at Toph and he was not going to let it.

Yue looked shocked, her face hurt by his declaration.

"What do you mean? Sokka, please, don't leave me, not again!" She called. Sokka shook his head, lowering it. Turning away, he made his way down the tunnel. The sound of Yue screaming behind him brought tears to his eyes, but he did not turn back around. He just kept walking.

As he went on more images began to appear, people that he cared about being tortured and tormented in a sea of blood. They all called out to him, begging him to save them, but he would not stop. Their screams pierced his soul, tears streaming down his face.

"Sokka, Sokka, please, you can't leave me here!" Cried a familiar voice. Sokka made the mistake of looking up. He began to sob as he looked at an image of his mother, her body being tortured by foul demons. He bowed his head low and kept moving on, sobbing violently. Soon all he could do was walk, and sob, and listen, the screams of tormented beings bouncing around the tunnel and making him cringe.

"Go ahead! Give me more! I want it all!" He cried, tears pouring down his face. The spirit obliged him and presented him with the darkest images that it could conceive, plastering them all over the tunnel and even in his head so that he could not escape them no matter what he did. Images of Aang, Katara, and Toph appeared before him, their limbs being torn apart. Beasts gnawed at his friends, devouring them. Axes appeared to severe their limbs and chop of their heads. Some of the demons grabbed the severed heads, throwing them at Sokka as he walked by. He did not duck, however, instead focusing on moving forward, the phantom images of his friends heads bouncing off of him.

He could feel the slickness of their blood as it sprayed on him, but it did not stop him. He could hear the sound of their screams in his ears, but it did not stop him. He could see them all in misery and pain, reaching out and calling to him for aid, but it did not stop him. He was not going to let anything stop him.

"I will not stop. I cannot stop." He said, repeating the phrase over and over to himself, tears sill pouring down his face. He pressed his fingers against Toph's flesh, the warm feeling of her skin giving him courage to take another step. As long as he had her he could keep going.

Step after step he trudged on, surrounded with pain, filled with agony, wallowing in utter torment. One time he rubbed his fingers against Toph's skin only to find it rotted and dripping blood, but he did not stop, he did not turn around. It was only a hallucination, meant to slow him, to make him drop her.

"I'm not stopping!" He yelled, forcing his feet to go one after another. Suddenly, he realized that he was going uphill. The walk became harder, but he was so uplifted by the thought that he had chosen the right way that he began to laugh. He laughed long and hard, the noise of it mixing in with the screams around him.

"I'm going to get out!" He yelled, laughing and sobbing more. The spirit kept at him, but it could not deter him, it was too late. He had made it through the night, and now the dawn was beginning to come.

Eventually Sokka found that he was no longer crying. The screams were becoming duller and the images not so vivid. He had endured the spirit!

"Toph, we're going to get out of here girl!" He called, kissing her hand. He froze, however, as he heard a new noise. It was the sound of someone crying, but not like the horrendous cries that he had heard in the tunnel, but rather that of a frightened child, scared and all alone.

Sokka made his way up to the noise, the tortuous light totally disappearing by the time he made it to the source of the noise, leaving him in darkness. It was coming from down at his feet, the sound of someone crying softly to themselves. He was half tempted to keep walking on, but something was nagging at him. He just had to investigate it.

"Hey, who is that?" He asked, his voice merely a croak from his tears. The sobbing froze, the person on the ground sitting up.

"Sokka?" Asked the person.

"Ya?" He responded. The person stood up, embracing him in a hug, their arms warm and trembling.

"Sokka, ohh Sokka. It's me! Katara!" Sokka did not return the hug, suspicious.

"How do I know it's you?" He asked.

"What do you mean how do you know it's me? Of course it's me! I came in here looking for you for goodness sakes!" She said. It certainly sounded like his sister, and acted like her.

"This tunnel can play tricks on you. How do I know that you aren't some apparition or something of the sort?" He asked.

"Sokka, if I were an apparition then wouldn't you be able to see me? I experienced some of the same things in here as well, but you could always see them." Sokka nodded his head. That was true.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." He said.

"Of course it makes sense, I said it." Replied Katara. He smiled.

"It is you Katara!" He said. She leaned in and hugged him again.

"I was so worried about you." She said, tears in her voice. She drew back.

"Is that Toph on your back?" Sokka nodded his head, then realized that his sister could not see him.

"Ya, she's unconscious at the moment, but okay. We just need to get her out of here." He said. An idea struck him.

"Hey, do you have some water on you? She has a head injury, I want you to heal it if you can."

"Sorry Sokka, my flask broke when I tried to fend off one of the hallucinations. I didn't have sense enough to take the water with me." Said Katara, her voice dropping low with embarrassment.

"What about the water here in the tunnel, can't you bend that?" He asked.

"No, there isn't really water here in the cavern. It's just another hallucination." Sokka licked at the sweat above his lip, trying to come up with an idea.

"Hey, what about my sweat, or tears? I've been doing quite a lot of both them." He said.

"Sokka, your sweat and tears are contaminated, I can't use that. Who knows what type of side effects they could carry. We might do more harm than good." Sokka sighed.

"Alright, well, it was worth a shot. Let's just get out of here." He said.

"Agreed." Said Katara. Sokka began to move on, continuing down the way he had been going, but Katara grabbed his arm.

"Not that way, I came in this way." She said, pulling him to a side tunnel that he did not know was there. Her grasp was weak, almost nonexistent. Funny, he always thought she was stronger than that.

"Ohh, good call." He said, following his sister. They moved slowly through the tunnel, all the images and noises ceasing save that of their own breaths. Sokka's was labored and heavy.

"Do you want to take a break? I think you need to catch your breath." Said Katara.

"No, we just need to keep moving." Said Sokka. As they walked he noticed that the path was heading down once more, going back towards the center of the earth. The feeling of dread, however, was no longer present and he felt much more assured that they were going to make it out. Perhaps he would take a brake later on, he had been through a lot.

"Don't worry. It's just a little dip. We'll be heading back up and out in a bit." Said Katara, making sure to keep within arms-length of him. "Then we'll be free of this cursed tunnel forever." Sokka merely nodded his head, too tired to speak. Where would he be without his sister?

* * *

Zuko sat against one of the pillars of his throne, leaning his head on the cold stone. He had cried his eyes red and now sat, thinking on what he should do. He couldn't really use Azula as bait, it just wasn't a risk that he was willing to take. Even after her declaration he was not prepared to give up on her or their relationship. They were going to be loving siblings even if he had to die to make it happen.

However, he did have to find Joshua. The man was slippery and devious. He had totally forgotten about the old escape routes from the palace to the mountains, something as Fire-Lord he should have known about. Who knows what else Joshua had in store or had discovered.

He sighed, his body and mind exhausted. Trekking up mountains, flying through storms, and fighting lunatics was pretty tiring on a person, and right now all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep. But if he did, then he was liable to have his throat slit while he slept. He first needed to get his hands on Joshua, then he could rest a little bit.

The sound of the doors banging close drew his attention to the throne room. He looked out over the floor, the flames in the moat long since dead. A single dark figure walked towards him, their hands tucked into their sleeves.

"Zuko, my nephew, how are you?" Asked Iroh. Zuko felt a wave of relief rush through him as he heard his Uncle's voice. Leaping up from his throne, he ran over and embraced his uncle, disregarding his normal gloomy nature.

"Uncle! I'm so glad to see you." He said, his voice shaking slightly. Iroh stood stunned for a moment, then he reached his hands out, hugging his nephew in reassuring hold.

"That bad, hmm?" Said Iroh. Zuko shook his head, taking a step back.

"You've got no idea Uncle. It seems like everything is going to hell and I just keep making things worse." He said, sighing.

"I wouldn't say that nephew, it's just more difficult than you first anticipated." Replied his uncle, holding out a cup of tea. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"You were keeping that up your sleeve? Why am I not surprised." He said. Iroh smiled.

"It stays warmer that way." Said the old man, putting it in Zuko's hand. He took it gratefully, letting the curling tendrils of steam seep into his nose, reinvigorating him with their clean and pure odor. He took a sip of the warm liquid, letting the soft flavor rush over his taste buds, giving him new energy and relaxing his body. As much as he would hate to admit it he sure did like tea. Iroh watched him as he downed the whole cup, handing it back once he was done.

"Thank you Uncle." He said, wiping his mouth on his wrist, realizing that he still was not wearing a shirt. His uncle smiled at him.

"Come on nephew, let's leave this dreary place." Said Iroh. Zuko nodded his head, walking towards the doors. The two walked out into the hall, making their way over to the kitchen.

"I heard that your old friend has come back for a visit." Said Iroh. Zuko snorted.

"Some friend he is. He killed Suki and kidnapped Azula. We're lucky we managed to get her back." He said. Iroh did not seem so convinced.

"Not that I am trying to justify his actions but I do not believe that the boy I knew would do such a thing." Zuko looked at his uncle, surprised.

"It's not him Uncle, he's made a deal with an evil spirit." Iroh froze, shock on his face.

"Ohh, well then, if that's the case, just disregard what I said. He will definitely do that, and more." Zuko almost laughed, his Uncle could always make a dim situation a bit more absurd.

"Ya, we noticed it when he managed to shake off one of Azula's lightning bolts, and stick a piece of the evil spirit in me." Said Zuko, walking on. Iroh stood silent for a moment, thinking.

"What is it you think he is after?"

"He wants us dead, and to kill us as slowly as possible." Said Zuko. Iroh shook his head.

"No, not Joshua, the spirit." It was Zuko's turn to freeze in surprise. He had not thought of that.

"The spirit?" He said. Iroh nodded his head.

"Yes, if he has indeed let himself be possessed by an evil spirit then his goals will be molded to the spirit's. They will become more akin to what the spirit desires, even though the original idea remains." Zuko continued walking, pondering upon this idea.

"I do not know. I don't know what type of spirit it is, merely that it turns his eyes black, which I'm guessing isn't a good thing." Said Zuko.

"What did it feel like inside you?" Asked Iroh. Zuko thought about it, trying to fight through the fog that came with the memory, though it was only a while before.

"I don't know. I can't remember." He said after he failed to make any recollection. Iroh frowned.

"That is not good. The spirit is deliberately trying to hide its nature from you to keep you from anticipating its goals." Zuko did not like the sound of that. A spirit that hid its intentions and gave Joshua super-human abilities? Not a spirit he wanted to mess with.

Iroh opened the door to the dining room, letting Zuko go in first. As he entered he was shocked to see everyone else sitting at the dining table, even Azula. She sat next to Jack, staring everyone down with her most menacing glare, no doubt furious at his most recent order.

"I thought that you would not want to carry through with your original plan." Said Iroh, walking past Zuko. He blushed.

"Ya, thanks Uncle." He said, walking behind him. The others all turned as he entered staring at him. Azula nailed him with a look of abject disdain, obviously infuriated with him. He dismissed her look though, trying to focus on the others. They all looked to him, their faces ragged and tired, just like he was.

Walking to the front of the table, Iroh pulled out the chair, offering it to Zuko. Iroh also handed him a shirt, which he gratefully put on. He sat down with a gracious nod to his uncle, coughing a bit as Iroh pushed the chair in too far and crushed his stomach.

"Sorry nephew." Said Iroh, the table enjoying a slight chuckle, save for Azula, who merely snorted. Zuko turned to his uncle, telling him it was okay. He probably did it on purpose anyways.

"Would you all like some more tea?" Asked Iroh. Everyone nodded their head, except for Azula, of course.

"Good, I'll go fetch some more from the kitchen." Said Iroh, walking off and disappearing into the doorway.

Zuko looked around at the forlorn faces at the table. He could not help but think that they had been a much merrier gathering only a few days earlier, when they had been all gathered for breakfast on the day of the festival. Then his biggest fear had been getting pounded by Toph for the stunt he was about to pull. It had also been a lot fuller then too.

Startled, he looked back up, counting off everyone at the table, noticing that more people than just Suki were missing.

"Where's Toph, Sokka? Is Aang still looking for them?" Katara looked over at him with red eyes, her hair a mess.

"Ya. Toph and Sokka were ambushed at the top of the mountain. We can't find where Joshua took them though. Aang's still looking for them." She said, her breath shaky. Zuko placed his face in his hands. This was just what he needed, two more of his friends in the hands of that lunatic.

"Huh, I guess that's what he did when he left me alone for a while." Said Azula. Zuko looked up at his sister.

"You mean you knew that he went somewhere else for a while and didn't bother mentioning it to us? What, were you waiting to exchange that bit of information for a more favorable position?" He demanded, his temper rising. Azula sneered at him.

"It's not like I had much opportunity to tell you. Besides, I thought that he was merely laying in wait for you, I didn't know that he was on the other side of the mountain pulverizing your friends." She said.

"Shut up!" Yelled Katara, standing up. "My brother is out there somewhere, hurt and more than likely dying, this isn't a joke!" She said. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Sorry snow peasant, I did not realize that the other snow peasant was in danger. Please, let me offer my most sincere condolences." Katara began to shake with rage, probably ready to bash some sense into Azula, when Iroh came back in, carrying a tray of ornate tea cups.

"Now, now niece. I do not think it is a good idea to distance yourself from those who want to help you. Perhaps you can try to show a bit more civility? As false as it may be." He finished, making everyone at the table laugh. Azula stared at Iroh, her eyes burning but not saying anything in retort.

"Good, now perhaps we can come up with a plan to save your friends and stop your old friend before he can do more damage." Said Iroh, setting down the cups of tea in front of everybody. Thanks were murmured out as the wearied group took their cups in hand, sipping at them and resting, their eyes all focusing on Zuko.

"Why don't you take those things off of her, hmm? I doubt she wants to lap up her tea." Said Iroh, motioning to the cuffs. Jack looked over at Zuko, who nodded his head, then he made the casing dissolve, freeing Azula's hands. Azula flexed her fingers.

"You know dear uncle, I'm fairly certain that the last time we met I just barely missed your heart." Said Azula, lightning bouncing between her fingertips. Iroh laughed.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken dear niece. Last time we met I explained to you why it was they called me the Dragon of the West." Said Iroh, bringing a frown to Azula as she was once again bested by him. Everyone looked to her to see if she would come up with a response, but she merely grabbed her cup of tea, sipping at it grudgingly.

"Very well then, I guess we should get down to business." Said Zuko, tracing the golden rim of his glass. "Does anyone have any questions before we discuss or strategy?" Ty-Lee raised a hand.

"Yes Ty-Lee."

"Where are all the guards and servants at?" She asked. Everyone took pause, even Katara, looking about the room as they realized that they were the only ones in the palace. Iroh turned red.

"I guess I should have mentioned it earlier nephew. I gave all the palace attendants the week off because of the festival." Zuko smacked himself in the face, running his hands slowly down.

"Yes Uncle, you should have probably mentioned that earlier." Said Zuko. Iroh laughed.

"Well, as they say, better late than never!" The others were not so amused.

"I'll go recall them." Said Iroh, turning and walking away. Zuko nodded his head. That would be for the best.

"Thank you Uncle." He said, watching as his uncle left the room. He groaned as he turned back around to the rest of his friends.

"Is there anything else that you need to tell me that you just might have forgotten?" Asked Zuko. The others all stared at each other. Zuko looked over at Azula. More than likely she had something, but she was going to save it until it became useful. She stared back at him, holding his gaze with her golden eyes. Finally Katara spoke up.

"Suki's body is gone." She said softly. "We found this note in its place." She said, taking a note and handing it to Mai, who handed it down to Zuko. He opened it, the white parchment crinkling with his touch. Across the page sat masterful strokes of calligraphy, the black ink painting a mocking message.

_Losers can't hold on _

_To anything they come across_

_Gold, wisdom, bodies_

_Sincerely Joshua_

Zuko sighed, setting the note down. Why in the world did he write this? Couldn't he just have left him some taunting note like 'Ha ha, you can't protect her even when she's dead'? What was the point of writing a haiku that insulted both the beauty of the writing and his own intelligence? He was surprised he even got the syllable count right.

"It's terrible. I can't believe he would take her body just to rub it in" Said Ty-Lee. Zuko nodded his head, sliding the piece of parchment away from him. Iroh's words on the spirit echoed in his head.

"Yes, yes it is." He said. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Anything else?" He asked. Mai raised her hand.

"Yes Mai?" She turned to Azula.

"If you had Joshua locked up the whole time how did he escape?" She asked. Zuko realized that it was actually a pretty good inquiry, he himself now wondering as to how Joshua got away now that the question had arose. Azula looked at her nails, sipping at her cup of tea.

"Well, I believe that it was right after you and Ty-Lee betrayed me on the boiling rock. In all the confusion that followed some of the guards were killed and his cell was found empty. How he got off of the island without the lift I do not know, but it was during that time period." She said.

"So he's been out for a few months now, able to plot all this?" Said Katara. Azula laughed, shaking her head.

"Foolish peasant, you don't get it, do you? He's had years to plan this out. The man is crazy, he does not forget anything that he has seen. All the time he spent in prison he used plotting. Sometimes he would even bounce ideas off of me during torture sessions. I would play along, though I never believed that he would actually escape and start implementing his plan, Guess I should have paid better attention."

"Wait, if you knew that he was out this whole time why didn't you say anything?" Asked Ty-Lee. Azula seemed caught off guard by her inquiry, her eyes blinking.

"Well…uhm… I do not believe that I was in the proper mental state in order to realize what a detrimental force he might cause. Being in the psycho ward can do that to you." She said, turning her gaze to Zuko, a condescending look resting on her face. He brushed it off.

"Well, now that's covered, I guess it's time that we set out trying to get this guy, and our friends." He said, steering the conversation back to apprehending Joshua.

"We need to find Sokka and Toph first. That should be on the top of our list at the moment." Said Katara. The others nodded their heads, save for Azula, who smirked.

"That's not what I would do." She said, sipping at her tea. Katara frowned.

"Who cares what you would do, it's obvious that your plans aren't exactly that good, otherwise you would have won the war." Azula and Katara exchanged a glare, animosity sparking between their eyes. Zuko could feel it from where he sat.

"Girls, back off. This isn't helping." Said Jack, putting a hand on Azula's shoulder. She turned to him, her eyes fierce for a moment, but the moment passed, and she relaxed, settling into her chair and sipping her tea once more. Katara glared at Jack for a moment, then slumped back into her chair, arms crossed.

"What would you do Azula?" Asked Jack. Mai looked at Zuko to see if he would stop the question, but he let it play out, waiting to hear whatever plot Azula had cooking in her head. None of them trusted her, but they did trust her ability to scheme, it was one thing that had kept them all on edge during the war.

"Well." Started Azula, taking a sip from her tea. "I think that going after your missing friends would be a poor move as you won't find them. Joshua has so many hiding places on this island that we could spend a year searching through them and only find half. What you should do is track down Joshua, as he will more than likely will be going after them in order to buy some more leverage to get me back. Though I dare say that I'm worth more than…" She was cut off by an elbow from Jack, her comment dying on her tongue. She gave him a look, then turned back to the rest.

"More than likely he's going after your friends right now. We find him we find your friends." She finished, going back to sipping at her tea. Jack gave her a pat on the head, which only made her punch him in the ribs, but he seemed not to care.

"Well, I think that sounds like a pretty solid idea. Any objections?" Asked Zuko. Katara shook her head.

"I don't think that we should all be going after Joshua. Some of us should go back to looking for my brother. Aang is still on the mountainside looking for them, let me go up and help." Zuko shook his head.

"Not alone you don't." He said. "Ty-Lee, go with her, I want to make sure that nothing happens." Zuko knew that Ty-Lee and Katara could not stand each other, but hopefully if they spent some time together they would start easing off of each other.

Katara glared at Ty-Lee with a frown, but she did not protest, knowing that at the moment it was best just to follow orders.

"Alright, when can we go?" She asked.

"Go now, but I want you back here in an hour, understand?" Said Zuko. Both of them nodded their heads, pushing their chairs back with a squeak and standing up, making their way out and back to Appa. He turned back to the rest of the room.

"Right then, now for us. Where was the last place you saw Joshua?" He asked.

"In the garden." Replied Jack. Mai nodded her head, while Azula leaned back and kicked her feet up on the table, still sipping at her cup of tea. Jack knocked her feet off the table, pushing her chair in with one arm. She sneered at him. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so he was in the garden. What happened?" He asked. Jack elbowed Azula, making her spill her tea on her lap.

"Azula?" Said Zuko, distracting her from her staring contest with Jack.

"Yes brother dear?" She replied, the lilt of her voice dripping with false civility as she took a napkin and wiped away the tea from her dress. Zuko pinches his nose. Patience, patience.

"What happened in the garden?" He asked.

"Well, you see, I wanted you to come play in our little apple game because I knew that I could embarrass you in front of Mai…" Another elbow from Jack got her to shut up.

"You know, the whole tying Azula up and using her as bait plan is sounding better and better. We wouldn't even have to go out looking for him, he would just come to us." Said Mai, glaring at Azula with her usual gloomy countenance. "Plus, we wouldn't have to listen to her." Azula scowled at Mai, sinking further back into her chair.

"Fine." Relented Azula. "Jack and I were attacking him right as Ty-Lee was coming out of the palace. I moved to shoot another bolt of lightning at him when suddenly there was a bright flash of white light. At first I thought Jack had blown himself up with a fireball, but when my vision cleared there was a cloud of black smoke in the middle of the garden. It blew away with the wind and he was gone." She finished, reaching out and taking Jack's cup of tea which sat just out of his reach.

"Well then, I guess the first step is examining the area." Said Zuko, standing up. Jack looked down and smacked Azula's hand, snatching his cup of tea back. Mai stood up, looking at him.

"Jack, why don't you and Azula stay here and hold down the fort until the guards return. I think I'll be able to manage with Mai." Said Zuko.

"Ohh, I'm not so sure about that dear brother. I don't think you have the stamina for her." Said Azula with a sneering grin. Jack smacked her on the back of the head, making her turn and glare at him. Zuko groaned, shaking his head.

"I can't unhear that." He mumbled as he walked away, leaving Jack and Azula to do whatever it was they did together. As long as the palace was standing when he got he would be fine.

Mai and Zuko made their way out to the garden, spreading out and combing the area, searching for clues. Zuko started at the point where he guessed Joshua disappeared at, stooping down and feeling the ground. Black powder covered the grass, coming off with his touch. He rubbed it between his fingers, noting the gritty quality and sent of smoke. Going down on a knee, he examined the grass, seeing that most of it was too bent or stomped on to tell much.

Spreading out further from his starting point, he looked through the bushes, trying to find anything. He ran his hands over the roses and lilacs, looking at their golden leaves, trying to find something out of place, but he found nothing. Squatting down in the dirt he looked for boot prints, but there was nothing. Not a sign of Joshua anywhere, no doubt the very same thing that Jack and Azula found when they searched the area.

Going back to the blackened grass, he looked again at the flattened area. He cocked his head sideways, realizing that there seemed to be a pattern. Taking a couple steps back, he looked down at it, noticing a spherical form that started at the center and spread out, encompassing a circle of flattened grass. What could have made such a strange pattern?

He mulled it over in his head, looking around to see if there was something that might account for the pattern. Perhaps Azula's lightning had done something to the grass? Looking over at some of the bushes, however, he noticed that they were burnt and charred, flames still burning on the tips. He snuffed them out with a snap of his fingers. No, it wasn't his sister's lightning, which meant it was something else.

Zuko walked around the pattern, looking at it from different angels, trying to figure out what caused it. It could not have been Earthbending, that would have just demolished the area. Firebending was out of the question, as the black powder on the ground wasn't char but some sort of gritty substance. Waterbending didn't work either, as it would have killed the grass as well as flatten it, like the time Katara had shown him how she could take water from plants. That left only one alternative if it was a bendable.

"Air." He muttered. He stroked his chin. What would Joshua do with airbending that would leave such a mark? He shook his head. This was when he needed someone like Aang. He would know what these marking meant.

"Mai, come here." He called, showing her what he had found once she came over.

"Azula said that the black smoke blew away with a wind. Joshua must have used his airbending. I just don't know what the pattern means." He said, looking to her for an answer. Mai shrugged her shoulders, her face apathetic as always.

"Come on! What does it mean?" He snapped, losing his patience. Mai looked him dead in the eyes, giving him a stinging glare. Zuko turned red.

"Sorry." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Mai turned back to the blackened grass without a word, walking around it.

"If you were an airbender, and you had to escape, what would you do?" She asked. Zuko shook his head.

"I don't know, I'm not am airbender." He said. Mai groaned.

"Zuko, you hunted the avatar for two years, he escaped on several occasions, how did he do it?" She asked. Zuko thought back, reaching into his memories and recalling a few of his stunning failures.

"Well, he can run really fast." He started. Mai shook her head.

"No. What else?" He reached back further, thinking of all his failures.

"Well, he usually used his Bison whistle and had Appa pick them up."

"What about when he didn't have Appa around?" She asked. Zuko thought a moment.

"He would use his glider and fly away." He said. Mai snapped her fingers.

"That's it." She said. Zuko looked down again, moving to the center of the circle. He put his arms down as if he was going to blast himself up with a wave of air, imagining the pattern that would emerge on the grass as he took off. He smiled.

"Hey, that is it!" He said, the smile dying on his face when he saw Mai's amused grin. He cleared his throat.

"Good job." He said. "Now we just need to find where he went." Mai stood across from him, titling her head.

"There." She said, pointing a manicured nail over at the palace roof. Zuko turned around, noticing a black stain running up the red tiles and gold trim.

"Right then, now how do we get up on the roof?" He said, turning back to her.

"Don't look at me. I carry knives up my sleeves, not ladders." Said Mai.

"I was thinking about getting Jack to earthbend us a platform up there." Responded Zuko, amused by Mai's outburst.

"I'll go fetch him then." Said Mai, starting off back towards the palace. Zuko caught her by the hand as she walked past, swinging her over to his embrace and giving her a warm, smothering kiss. Mai did not resist, letting herself fold into his arms, kissing him back with her soft lips. They stood there for a moment, lost in a moment of passion, but the sound of someone chuckling brought them out.

Zuko looked up to see Jack and Azula standing in the garden, amused grins spread across their smug faces.

"Don't mind us." Said Jack.

"We're just observing." Added Azula. The two stood there, smiling. Zuko groaned, putting his hand over his face. Mai merely stood straight, staring over at them with her normal candor.

"Jack, good timing, we need you to get us on the roof." She said as if nothing had happened. Jack looked at Azula.

"On the roof?" He said. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know how Zuzu's mind works. Maybe he thinks he can have clearer thought if he gets himself higher." She said. Zuko looked up at them, ignoring Azula's comment.

"Joshua fled up the roof, I want to get up there to investigate." He said, walking towards Jack. Jack looked up at the roof, trying to find what trail they had picked up on.

"How do you know he went up there?" Asked Jack.

"We do." Replied Mai, coming over next to him. "Now get us up there." She said. Azula tisked.

"Now, now Mai. Let's not be so pushy. We are all friends here after all." She said.

"Friends don't throw each other in prison and torture them for years on end." Replied Mai, her demeanor calm. Azula frowned.

"You know, she does have a point." Said Jack with an amused grin. Azula turned her piercing gaze on him, only to stare behind him, her face twitching. Zuko looked at her, turning his head to try and see what it was that she was staring at. There was nothing but flowers and bushes, rustling softly in the breeze. He turned back to see her mumbling something.

"Azula?" He said, breaking her out of her gaze.

"What? What do you want?" She snapped, fidgeting where she stood. Jack looked at her.

"You okay Jemnile?" He asked.

"It told you not to call me that street rat!" She snapped, getting in his face, a wild look in her eyes. Zuko reached out, grabbing her and pulling her back as blue flames sprung to life in her hands.

"Azula, calm down!" He yelled, trying to hold her as she struggled against him. She threw her head back, smacking him in the jaw. A white flash of pain spread through his head, blinding him. Copper flooded into his mouth as he bit into his tongue. The next thing he knew he was falling to the ground, his last thought being that he was falling unconscious for the second time that day. How embarrassing.


	10. Respite

**Chapter X**

Sokka trudged wearily behind his sister, stumbling as he went. The pain in his feet was finally reaching unbearable levels, his energy expended at fighting off the spirit's visions. His lungs burnt with a fiery pain and his heart throbbed, the beats starting to become irregular. They had been walking for what felt like an eternity, the ground still leading further and further down, but he did not have the strength to think. He merely wanted to stop, to take a break from his labor and breathe. Toph was getting so heavy on his back; it was just becoming too much.

"Sokka, do you want me to take Toph?" Asked Katara, as if reading his thoughts. Sokka shook his head, panting as sweat trickled down his chin and onto the tunnel floor.

"I've carried her this far, I'll make it the rest of the way." He said, stumbling. Katara did not reach out to stop him, probably unable to see his falter in the darkness. He caught himself, bringing himself back up to shaky legs.

"Maybe we should take a break." Said his sister. "It's still a way to go. I don't know if you'll make it."

"Don't worry, I can make it." He replied, continuing on.

"If you insist." Replied Katara, her feet pattering ahead of him. The two continued on in silence, walking further and further into the heart of the mountain. It was strange, however. Even though they were walking further and further down, back towards where he had suffered the worse from the spirit, the feeling of dread did not grow. He felt uneasy, but he did not feel the evil presence around him. It was as if it had just given up and let him go, deciding that it could not best him.

He shook his head. Battling evil spirits, running from another diamondbender, Suki dying, it was all just too much for him. Ohh how he wished that he could just rest!

His stomach growled at him, reminding him that he had not eaten in over a day. Why in the world had he left that bowl of noodles alone! What was wrong with him?

He was struggling with grief, that was what was wrong with him. Suki was gone, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back. Worse of all the last time he had spoken with her they had been arguing, yelling at each other, debating whether or not to have sex. Why hadn't he just done it? If he could go back in time and be with her once more he would have changed his mind in a heartbeat. One last moment of fiery passion with Suki before she had gone, at least then he would not feel so guilty about everything at the moment. His purity hadn't been worth her pleasure, had it?

Sokka stumbled again, managing to catch himself by putting his hand to the wall, a sharp pain stabbing into his hand. He could feel blood running down his hand from where he had braced himself. Great, just what he needed, another cut. He groaned out loud.

"Cut your hand, huh?" Said Katara, surprising him.

"Ya, how did you know?" He asked.

"Sister's intuition." She said, her feet continuing on. Sokka stood for a moment, staring ahead of him into the darkness. Sister's intuition huh? Maybe it was a good idea to stop and take a break, he could always let Katara carry Toph a while, ease some of the pain on his feet.

"You know Sokka, if you let me carry Toph for a while it would help your feet. They wouldn't hurt so bad." Said Katara, confirming his suspicion.

Sokka stopped, staring ahead of him into the darkness. "How did you know about my feet? I never told you." Katara was silent for a moment.

"Yes you did." She replied, her voice unsure. Sokka began to pace backwards.

"No I didn't. I told you that Toph's head was injured. I never told you that my feet were hurting." He said, taking another step back.

The sound of Katara walking after him hurried his pace "Don't be silly Sokka, of course you told me." She called. Ya, remember, you told her.

Sokka shook himself, turning around and making his way back up the tunnel.

"No you don't spirit! You're not tricking me!" He yelled. Katara began to run after him, the shade calling his name.

"Sokka! Sokka! Don't be ridiculous!" He ignored her calls, making his way back up the tunnel as fast he could. The spirit wasn't going to get him, not now not ever.

"Sokka!" Cried Katara, her image appearing before him out of the gloom, teeth razor sharp and eyes dripping blood. Sokka stumbled back with a girlish scream, almost losing his footing altogether. He put his knee to the ground, pain flaring up as it sliced against the stone. He managed to keep his feet, but barely, forcing himself back up with a few tears of agony. The spirit was trying to make him fall.

Sokka put his head down, walking back up the tunnel. The shade was nowhere to be seen or heard, but the feeling of dread once again fell upon him. Blackness surrounded him, holding untold horrors just waiting to pop out and take their turn at making him stumble. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

The sound of feet pattering behind him made him pause, turning back to the darkness. The feet stopped as he turned. Swallowing, he continued on, reminding himself that they were just hallucinations, they couldn't harm him.

As he walked the feet shadowed him, pattering up behind him, growing closer and closer. Every time he turned around they stopped, making his heart jump.

Eventually they began to patter closer and closer, small little steps trailing just behind him. The next time he stopped they did so as well, but in their place came the sound of someone's heavy breath, breathing in and out, in and out. They sat just beyond him in the darkness, waiting for him.

By now fear was tugging at his heart. He needed to get out. Direct images of tormented people he could take, but a creeping menace determined to stalk him was too much. He hated surprises!

He tried to walk faster, running his hand along the wall to speed himself up, but the feet kept pace, pattering up behind him. His breathing started to become even harder, sweat trickling down his face as the feet drew closer and closer. When he stopped the next time he kept his head low, just listening. The feet stopped for a moment, then sped up, sprinting towards him at full speed. Before he even had a chance to move they sped past him, a slight breeze rushing by. He stood up straight, blinking ahead of him into the darkness.

"Sokka." Cooed the shade softly, its voice coming out of the darkness, blocking off his escape route. He could hear its heavy breath, breathing in and out with a warm blast of air. Swallowing hard, he began to pace forward, trying to make his way up and past the shade. It could not hurt him if he did not let it.

As he worked his way up the passage the shade rushed past him once more, the wind blowing back behind him as the patter of feet echoed down the tunnel. By now he was completely terrified. Knowing that it was a hallucination and feeling that it was a hallucination were two entirely different things. That shade was scarring the crap out of him!

He picked up the pace as best he could but the feet kept coming at him, pattering and speeding past him only to go back behind him. The soft cooing came to him again, echoing sinisterly in the tunnel.

"Sokka. Soookkkaaa. I've come to plaaayyy." It said, his skin crawling as the haunted noise came to him.

He began stumbling forward, tears crawling down his face as fear seized him. "Sorry, Dad said I can't stay. I have to go home for supper." He called out, trying to calm himself with banter.

The feet rushed past, then behind, then past him once more. Pittering, pattering, always in the dark, never in the light. The noise surrounded him, it echoed about him, it played in his skull. There was no escape from its noise.

"Sokka!" It cried, another image of Katara's face appearing before him. He cried out in fear, throwing his arm at the shade, but it just disappeared, leaving him to calm his raging heart, but it only grew worse as the pattering returned.

Stumbling forward, he made his way through the black tunnel as swiftly as his ragged feet would carry him. Eventually, as the feet followed him, he ran full on into a wall, crashing into its cold, rough, stone straight on. He blinked as his mind flashed white for a moment, his head clearing of the ghoulish shade as it was consumed by its pain.

Eventually he managed to reoriented himself, realizing that he was back where he had encountered the shade of Katara. He was almost out, he just needed to head up.

He walked as fast as he could, the shade still pestering him, but its terror grew less as the air became fresh once more. Sokka smiled, the image appearing before him once more with a cry, but this time he was not startled. He merely laughed at it.

"You always were pushy sis." He said, walking through the shade. A terrible cry went up from the spirit, echoing throughout the whole tunnel as he broke through the final test. It screamed and shrieked, a million tormented voices joining in with one noise. It even stopped Sokka for a moment, forcing him to cover his ears, but eventually it ended, and finally he felt the spirit leave him be. He had won.

Smiling to himself, he began to make his way forward, but he stopped when he heard another sound. Another person was laying on the ground near him, sobbing to themselves. He rolled his eyes.

"Seriously? Give up, I'm not falling for the same trick twice." He said, walking on. The voice stopped, a slight rustling sounding in the tunnel as it stood up.

"Sokka, is that you?" It was Aang's voice. Sokka groaned, continuing on.

"Look shade Aang, I ain't falling for it again. I'm heading that way, if you want to follow me that's perfectly fine." He said, moving on. Shade Aang came up behind him, tagging along with an orange ball of flame springing to life in his hands. Sokka blinked as the flame brightened the tunnel around him; the light seemed different from the other light he had seen, more wholesome and comforting than the crimson glow on the walls.

"Sokka! It's really me!" Cried shade Aang. Sokka took a moment and looked at the shades face, noting that it really looked like Aang. His blue tattoos, the haggard look on his face and red eyes from the spirits torment, it really seemed to be Aang. But then again, Yue had really looked like Yue, and Katara had really sounded like Katara. He turned back around, walking on.

"Like I said, I ain't stopping. Follow me or not, I don't care." He said. The shade followed him, still trying to convince him that it was the real Aang.

"There's an evil spirit in here Sokka. A really evil spirit. It likes to torment people." Said the shade. Sokka laughed.

"Ya I know. I'm talking to it right now." He said. A light was beginning to grow ahead of him. A white light near the edge of the tunnel. Daylight. He was almost there.

"No, Sokka, it's really me! I came in here to rescue you!" Said the shade. Sokka nodded his head.

"Sure you did buddy." He said, blinking as the light grew. The shade continued to follow him, walking right behind him as they neared the end of the tunnel.

Eventually, as they reached the edge, Sokka stumbled, falling down on his stomach on the cold, freezing ground. Wind whipped by his face, blowing his ragged hair away from his face. Tears welled in his eyes as the dazzling sunlight and stinging wind struck him, the fresh scent of cool mountain air reassuring him of one thing. He was outside.

He began to laugh, Toph still lying on his back. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, the sound becoming hysteric as he realized that he was free from the tunnel. He was free from the evil spirit within, free from the horrid images, and free from the burden on his shoulders.

Reaching out, he began crawling forward, making sure to take Toph along with him. He did not care that he still had to go down the mountain, he only cared that he was out of the tunnel, and at the moment he wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

"Sokka!" Sokka blinked at the noise, his eyes still adjusting to the blinding light of day. Hands reached down and grabbed him, Toph being lifted from his back. He shot out a hand, latching onto Toph's arm. He wasn't going to let go at the end!

"No! No!" He cried, pulling his friend back to him. A warm embrace pulled him up to a sitting position, enveloping him as he held on to Toph's hand.

"Sokka, Sokka! It's okay, you can let go. It's us!" Sokka shook his head, holding desperately on to Toph.

"Ty-Lee, let him hold on to her." Said a voice, familiar yet cloudy. Toph fell back to him, allowing him to grab her and pull her close to his chest, holding her between his knees and hugging her tight. He ran his hand gently through her hair, his fingers shaking as he touch her silky strands. He froze as he saw the dried blood, matted both in her hair and on his blackened hand.

"Sokka." Said a voice, soft and tender. He hugged Toph tighter, drawing his little friend in as he laid his chin on top of her head. He could feel the warm arms drawn in around him, holding him as well, gently rocking him back and forth.

"It's okay. It's okay." The voice cajoled, rocking him softly. He began to weep, the emotion and stress of the situation completely overtaking him. He had thought he had no more tears to cry, no more sorrow to give, not after all he had gone through, but apparently there were a few left. Salty tears trickled down his face as he wept into Toph's hair, his shaking embrace drawing her in closer and closer. All his sorrows came to him at once, the worse of them Suki's death. He felt it like the wounds on his feet, raw and bleeding, with no salve to heal it.

He did not know for how long he sat up on the mountain top, weeping with someone holding him, the chill wind sweeping past and numbing his body, but eventually the tears dried. He regained control of himself, blinking away the final tears and seeing once more, the darkness of the cave directly ahead of him.

Shifting as to stand up, he felt the figure behind him move.

"Hold on Sokka, wait, I gotcha." Said a voice. He felt his arm being lifted away from Toph, making a small whine emanate from his lips.

"It's okay, it's okay. Aang, grab her." Sokka watched as Aang came over, his eyes red as he bent down and picked up Toph, not without some effort. Someone placed themselves beneath his arm, lifting him up.

"Go ahead, lean on me big brother." Sokka looked over to the voice, noticing Katara's soft face. Her hair was a complete mess, tossed about by the wind. Her eyes were red and moist, but there was a smile on her face as she looked at him.

"Hey little sis." He said wearily, taking a faltering step with her. Katara chuckled, a pained noise choked by emotion.

"Ty-Lee, help me." She called, turning back to him. "How you doing?" She asked. Sokka shrugged his shoulders, or at least, he tried. He did not really have the strength to perform such a task.

"You know, lost another girlfriend, attacked by a lunatic, tormented by evil spirits, same ol' same ol'." He said, bringing more tears to his sister's eyes.

"That all?" She asked, her voice choking. Sokka nodded his head, a thought crossing his mind.

"Ya, that's it. Hey, sis, can you turn me around a sec." He said. Katara looked at him strangely, Ty-Lee coming over and placing herself underneath his other arm.

"Sure thing big brother." She said, turning him around to face the tunnel. Sokka stared into it, looking at its haunting blackness. Light did not penetrate far into it, dying at its door. Even from here he felt a shudder crawl down his spine, but he had beaten the spirit. Him, Sokka, the non-bender. He had defeated an evil spirit bent on breaking his will. How was that for a Southern-Watertribe boy? He grinned at the tunnel.

"Hey, spooky, how about next time we play I choose the game, huh? It might be a bit scarier that way." He said, chuckling to himself. Katara and Ty-Lee exchanged a confused look.

"It was a good time but sadly I have to go. See you next time I need a bit of relaxation!" Said Sokka, his voice growing stronger as the taunts flowed through his mouth.

"Alright Sokka, I think we should go now." Said Katara, her voice unsettled by his taunts to an empty cave. Sokka shook his head.

"Hang on, I got one more." He said, laughing. "Hey spooky, knock knock!" He called. For a moment it was silent, the whistling of the wind the only response to his question.

"Who's there?" Replied a voice, sinister and black, echoing out of the tunnel. Ty-Lee and Katara jumped back, taking Sokka with them.

"What was that?" Asked Katara.

"We should go now." Said Ty-Lee, but Sokka shook his head, laughing.

"You!" He called back, continuing the joke. Katara tugged at her brother.

"Sokka, we should really go now." She said, trying to pull her brother away, but he refused to budge, waiting for spooky's response. For a moment the spirit was silent, the tunnel sitting in its sea of darkness. Then it replied.

"Agreed." It said, a black shadow, in the shape of a hand, shooting out and grabbing Sokka by the chest. It pulled him away from Katara and Ty-Lee, dragging him back towards the tunnel.

"Why don't we play another game?" It said. Sokka began to laugh, grabbing at the stones as he slid backwards.

"I'm all funned out at the moment." He replied, trying to keep himself from going back into the mountain. Katara and Ty-Lee came running up, Aang following up behind. They attacked the spirit, Katara lashing out with a water whip, Aang with a blast of air, while Ty-Lee leapt over a wave of blackness and grabbed Sokka's hands, digging her feet into the stone and pulling on him, trying to tug him free.

Sokka held on to Ty-Lee for dear life, using the last visages of his strength to pull himself forward. The spirit groaned behind him at the struggle, and finally it relinquished its grasp, Sokka flying forward onto Ty-Lee. He lay there a moment, on top of her, his face pressed close to hers. She smiled up at him, her brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Hello there." She said. Sokka blinked for a moment, shaking his head.

"Hey." He replied, still a bit stunned. Ty-Lee shifted slightly beneath him, still staring at him.

"You okay?" She asked. Sokka nodded his head.

"Think so." He said, staring down at her. A wave of red overtook his vision.

"You saved me." He said, his voice sounding somewhat surprised. Ty-Lee smiled.

"Anything for a friend." She said. Sokka looked closer at her, running a grimy hand across her soft, pink, skin. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek, relishing the smooth, warm feeling of her flesh.

"Thanks." He said, rolling off of her. Ty-Lee lay stunned for a moment, so caught off guard by his thanks. She turned beet red as she ran a hand over the place where his lips had pressed against her skin.

"Sokka, are you okay?" Asked Katara, running up to him. She bent down beneath his arm once more, helping him to his feet.

"Just fine sis." He replied, a gleam in his eye. Aang came up beneath his other arm, helping him.

"I didn't know that spirits could reach out like that in this dimension." Said Aang, sounding more excited than relieved. Sokka smiled.

"Glad I could show you that then. Me and spooky, we go way back. You need anything from him just ask, I'll get it for you." He said, hobbling along towards Appa. Katara shook her head.

"Are you sure you're okay Sokka?" She asked.

Sokka frowned, a wave of anger coming over him. "Katara, I'm bruised up, cut up, and sliced up. Do you think I'm okay?" He snapped, shaking his head.

"Sorry." She mumbled, caught off guard by his chagrin. Sokka rolled his eyes. Geesh, what was with these people? Come out of a haunted tunnel and they think that you're going to be all peachy. Probably because they figured since he wasn't a bender the spirit wouldn't bother with him, you know, not being a threat and all. Well, it had.

"Just get me the hell out of here." He said, hopping along with them. "I'm sick and tired of this mountain." Katara nodded her head.

"Alright Sokka, don't worry, we'll have you back at the palace in no time." She said.

"You better." He replied. Aang looked at him, worried about the sudden change within his friend. Looking closer at Sokka's eyes, he could have sworn that, for only a moment, they flashed red.

* * *

"Come on, wake up." Said a voice. Zuko felt himself being hauled to his feet, his world clearing as he shook his head. He stumbled back for a moment, a hand shooting out and grabbing his shoulder.

"You okay? Still alive?" He blinked his eyes, the spots clearing up.

"Whah happened?" He slurred, a mixture of saliva and blood dripping down his chin. He wiped his chin on his sleeve, turning to the side and spiting.

"You were knocked out dear brother." Said Azula. Zuko shook his head.

"Didn't you knock me out?" He asked, things still a bit fuzzy. Azula stood before him, perfectly calm and in control. Mai and Jack also stood by her side, looking at him, Jack with an amused grin.

"Let's not start assigning blame here Zuzu. Let's just say that something happened, and I may have accidently rammed my head into your chin." She said, brushing it off like she did everything else. Zuko moved his chin around, feeling the soreness in the bone.

"Why'd you do that?!" He demanded. Azula shrugged her shoulders.

"You attacked me, I was just trying to defend myself." She said. Jack laughed.

"Not exactly how I remember it." Said the diamondbender.

Mai yawned "I believe that Zuko was trying to restrain you while you were having another one of your fits." She said. Azula glared at her.

"They aren't fits. I was just a bit upset with Jack, that's all." She said, brushing her hair behind her head. Zuko shook his head.

"How long was I out?" He asked.

"Couple of seconds." Replied Jack.

"You know Zuzu, you seem to be getting weaker and weaker as time goes on. Getting knocked out by a tap to the jaw?" Azula tisked at him. "Maybe you aren't in the best shape to lead the Fire-Nation." She said, a condescending smile on her crimson lips. Zuko frowned at her.

"I've lost a lot of blood recently." He said, defending himself.

"Plus." Said Jack, stepping in. "The jaw is the goodnight button on the face. Hit this thing here." He said, grabbing Zuko's chin and squeezing his cheeks with his big fingers. "And it's beddy-by-time." He finished. Zuko pushed him away, moving his jaw around. Azula snickered, Mai even cracking a slight grin.

"Alright, alright. You guys have had your fun. It's time to focus up. We've got a killer to catch, remember?" He said. The others nodded their heads, relinquishing their pursuit of fun for the moment. He gave a satisfied grunt.

"Good. Now let's get up on the roof. Azula, you and Jack go back inside once we get up there and check out the whole palace." He said. Azula groaned at him.

"The whole palace? Really dear brother, it is so large. Can't we just check the halls?" Zuko frowned at her, silencing her griping.

"Very well." She sighed. "We will check the whole palace, but only because you asked so nicely." She said with a grin, grabbing his cheek and wiggling it. Zuko smacked her hand away, shaking his head.

"Alright then, up we go." Said Jack, making a rigid motion from the floor to the sky, an earthen platform lifting them off of the ground and to the roof. Zuko stepped off, moving slowly up the red tiles. He turned and offered his hand to Mai, who merely raised an eyebrow at him. Azula and Jack laughed.

"I don't think she needs your help buddy." Said Jack. Azula snickered.

"I believe Mai would rather help you out, you are rather feminine Zuzu." She said. Mai froze at their words, her back to them. After a moment she reached out and took Zuko's hand, using it to help herself balance on the roof. Zuko grinned back at the others, victorious. Jack laughed as he lowered the platform, Azula shaking her head as they reached the floor.

"Thanks." He said as the other two went back into the palace.

"Don't expect it to happen again." Said Mai. Zuko nodded his head, his face turning red.

"Don't worry, I wasn't expecting it to." He said. Mai looked at him, leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on then." She said, turning to head up the roof. Zuko stood stunned for a moment, intoxicated by the kiss. He wound up losing his balance, his arms flailing as he began to tumble off the roof. Mai's gloved hand shot out and grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him back up onto the roof before he tasted dirt and fell unconscious for the third time that day.

"Come on lover boy." She said, walking up the roof. He sat on the red tiles for a moment, their cold stone pressing against his hot skin as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Coming." He mumbled, his face red. He lifted himself up and started off behind Mia, slipping a few times on the smooth tiles. Eventually they made their way to a flatter area of the roof, specks of black grime leading over to a one of the glassed roof windows that allowed sunlight into certain areas of the palace.

Zuko walked up to it, running his hand along the cold golden trim as he inspected the glass panels. There was a hand print at the bottom right corner of one of them, as if it was pressed against it while someone was trying to peak in. Looking down, he was shocked to see that the room beneath was the dining room, the table still holding their cups of tea.

"He was spying on us while we were talking." Said Mai, her voice even. Zuko shook his head.

"Why didn't we notice!?" He said, angered by his failure to realize someone was spying on him. Mai shrugged her shoulders.

"How did we not know about the underground passages to the palace? Or that he was still alive? You can't know everything Zuko, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches." She said. Zuko stood up, shaking his head.

"But that's just what he wants. He wants to keep us reactionary." He said.

"But why? The only reason he would do that was if he was doing something else at the same time." Said Mai, walking over next to him and looking below. Zuko shook his head.

"I don't know." He said, watching as Azula and Jack entered the dining room. Jack was checking the pillars, peering into the kitchen and even the storage closets while Azula merely made her way over to the table and sat down, pouring herself a cup of tea and propping her feet up on the table. Mai and Zuko watched as she sat and sipped at her tea, staring at Jack as he searched around. Eventually he noticed her sitting at the table. They could hear his voice as he started yelling at her, walking over and smacking her feet off of the table.

Azula responded by sipping at her tea, putting her feet back up on the table. Jack threw his hands up, apparently giving up, turning around and storming off, which brought an amused smile to Azula's lips. She then set her cup of tea down and went off after him, striding away and out of view. Zuko shook his head.

"She's impossible." He said. Mai looked at him.

"Hey, she's not my sister." She said, walking off. Zuko groaned. Only if, only if.

After searching the area around them they picked up on the trail once more, footprints slightly covered in black specks making their way to another section of the palace. Following them, they came to another glass pane, this one over a hall next to Suki and Katara's room. One of the latches on the glass panes had been unlocked, swinging open with a gentle touch. Zuko looked down, staring down the hallways, trying to determine which way Joshua had gone.

"He's still in the palace." Said Mai. Zuko turned to her.

"What?" He said, slipping and almost falling through the window. Mai shot out a hand and grabbed him by the belt, pulling him back and saving him for the second time that they had been on the roof. She shook her head.

"Think about it." She said, continuing on as if nothing had happened. "This is Joshua we're talking about, the king of overthinking things. If he was trying to hide from us the first place he would go is the place closest to us, not furthest away. He would think he was safer that way." She said. Zuko nodded his head. Sounded like Joshua.

"Then we need to get down there and help with the search, maybe start bolting the exits shut." He said. Mai shook her head.

"You really think locking the doors is going to keep him inside?" She said.

Zuko thought about it for a moment. "Diamondbending, right. Well then, I guess we just go down and help with the search." He said. They walked back over to the edge of the roof, finding an earthen stair way erected to help them to the ground. They quickly descended, making their way back into the palace.

As soon as they were inside they started searching, combing through the entire palace, searching every crook and cranny they could think of or imagine. They found nothing however. No Joshua, no body, no poorly written haiku. By the time they had gathered once more in the dining room Katara and Ty-Lee had returned, Toph, Sokka, and Aang, all in tow. They had marched Toph and Sokka immediately to one of the larger guest rooms, Katara spending hours inside healing them as best she could. Ty-Lee stayed and helped, locking the doors and keeping the others out as they worked. That left Aang to explain to everyone else what he had found.

Aang took in a deep breath, gathering the courage to start his tale. "There was a tunnel, the mouth hiding underground. I found it using my earth sight. I went in, the darkness pressing all around me. At first I thought it was just strange that all the light was being killed, but when I started seeing visions of blood, I realized that it was an evil spirit." The others sat around at the table, Zuko walking around and refilling empty tea cups. Aang hands trembled as he held out his, letting him refill it.

"Thanks." He said softly, the china rattling in his grasp. Zuko set down the tea kettle, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. Go on." He said softly. Aang nodded his head, taking a sip from his cup.

"I tried to keep going on, but these thoughts started plaguing me. Dark thoughts." He said, shaking his head.

"Eventually I ran into a fork in the tunnel, and I couldn't decide which way to go. That's when…that's when…" Tears sprang to Aang's eyes as he recalled the memories. He shook his head, sniffling.

"I'm sorry, I can't say. It was horrible." He sobbed softly to himself for a few moments, Zuko's hand resting on his shoulder. Eventually he managed to calm himself, taking a shaky sip from his tea and wiping his nose on the back of his robe.

"Well." He said, continuing on. "I don't know how long I was down there, but eventually Sokka stumbled across me. I followed him out. He had been carrying Toph on his back the whole time, his feet torn to shreds. Katara doesn't know if she'll be able to fix them properly." He said, shaking his head.

"I don't know how he got through the spirit. I've never encountered something so dark, so hateful. Not even in the spirit world. It seemed to thrive on torment, but it didn't make it happy." Said Aang. "I just felt like it wanted peace." He finished. The others sat silently around him, watching him as he told his story. Even Azula refrained from saying anything, her brow furled as she sat in thought.

"You said that this spirit thrived on tormenting you, yet you felt as if it wanted peace?" She asked, shocking everyone. Aang looked over at her, surprised.

"Uhh, ya. Well, at least, that's what it felt like." He said. Everyone looked at Azula, waiting to hear what she was thinking. She grabbed her tea, lifting it to her lips and sipping softly, her eyes distant in thought.

"Well?" Said Zuko, losing his patience after a while. Azula set her cup down, turning to him with an oblivious look.

"Well what? I was just asking a question." She said. Zuko groaned in frustration.

"Azula, we're all in on this together! You can't just withhold information if you think it might be helpful!" He said. Azula shrugged her shoulders, taking another sip of tea.

"Please Jemnile." Said Jack, sitting next to her. She looked at him for a moment, then sighed.

"Very well." She said. "It's obvious that this spirit that you ran into is the very same one that is in Joshua." Aang lifted an eyebrow.

"There's an evil spirit in Joshua?"

"I'll fill you in later kid." Said Jack. Azula cleared her throat.

"Continuing on with my explanation." She said. "This spirit, as we already can tell, lives for torment. That tells us two crucial details." Everyone stared at her, their faces blank. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Don't you people know anything about spirits and possessions?" She said. Most of them shook their heads, Aang rubbing the back of his neck.

"The monks didn't really go over it with me." Azula groaned.

"It's like talking to a wall."

"Azula, please." Said Zuko. She looked at him for a moment, her eyes vacant, staring behind him, then she snapped back, blinking.

"Very well, possessions one-o-one. When a spirit and a human agree to a contract the two entities exchange part of their essence. That means that there is some of whatever evil spirit that Joshua made a deal with inside of him." She said.

"I think Sokka said it was called spooky." Said Aang, interrupting Azula's lecture. Everyone paused at the table, looking over at the young avatar.

"Spooky?" Said Mai, her eyebrow raised. Aang turned red, nodding his head.

"That's what he said, when he was talking with it." He said. Zuko took a seat next to Aang.

"Sokka was talking to the spirit?" He said. Aang nodded his head.

"Ya, and it was talking back." Azula cleared her throat again.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to explain something here." She said, trying to get the table to listen to her once more. Everyone shushed her, making her cross her arms and pout.

"It talked back to him?" Said Zuko.

"Ya, it was really creepy." Said Aang.

"What was it saying?" Asked Jack.

"Well, Sokka was telling it a joke, and it responded to him." Everyone looked at each other, totally befuddled.

"Sokka was telling it a joke?" Asked Zuko, stunned. Aang laughed nervously, his cheeks glowing bright red.

"You have to understand, that tunnel does funny things to your head. I don't think Sokka was in his right mind."

"Like that snow-peasant ever is." Snorted Azula, still mad that everyone was ignoring her.

"Sokka was taunting it, and it responded to him. And then it reached out and grabbed him." Said Aang. That got everyone talking at once, questions bombarding him. Eventually Zuko stood up, hushing everyone. Once they were all settled he turned back to Aang, sitting down.

"It attacked him?" He asked simply.

"Ya, it reached out this big black shadowy hand and grabbed him. It tried to drag him right back into the tunnel, but we managed to fend it off." Everyone sat silently, stunned by this revelation. Azula sat up, a sly smile spreading across her lips only to disappear the next moment.

"I thought spirits couldn't physically attack us in this world?" Said Mai. Azula laughed, finally drawing the attention back to her.

"My, my. You people really do know nothing about spirits, don't you?" She said, a condescending smile on her lips.

"Azula, would you like to explain to the class how these things work then?" Asked Jack, drawing an amused laugh from around the table. Azula glared at him, but continued on none the less.

"Like I was saying earlier before I was so rudely interrupted." She started, shooting a look over at Aang. "There are only two ways a spirit can attack a human in this world. The first is through a spirit portal. That is not the case with Joshua. The other is a deal."

"How so?" Asked Zuko.

"When a deal is made between human and spirit an essence of both parties is exchanged."

"Kinda like a guarantee that both parties follow through on their parts, right?" Said Jack. Azula frowned.

"Yes, I guess you could put it that way. But what you have to realize is that these entities are active in both participants. The stronger the person the stronger the influence has on the other party. No doubt Joshua made a deal with a very old and evil spirit, so, more than likely, we won't ever actually run into him."

"It's just going to be the spirit." Finished Zuko. Azula nodded her head.

"Yes." Aang did not look entirely convinced.

"But why was the spirit able to attack Sokka in this world?" He asked.

"By exchanging essences both parties now have a foothold in both worlds. The spirit's reach is limited, but it can physically reach out and take someone if the need arises. Apparently your mouthy friend presented such a need." She said, sipping once more at her tea.

"What was your second point?" Asked Mai. Azula set her cup down, brushing off imaginary dust from her tattered dress.

"Well I'm glad that you're still the sharp one Mai." She said, glaring at her for a moment. "My second point was that Joshua isn't actually going to kill any of us, at least not for a while." She said. Zuko blinked.

"Uhh, Azula, you do realize that Suki is already dead." He said, pointing out the obvious. Azula laughed.

"Ohh please, that's not who I meant. I meant us, his original friends. Me, you, Jack, Mai, and Ty-Lee. Since the spirit is obsessed with torment it will seek to capture us and hold us for the rest of our lives, whether that be natural or unnatural." She said. "As for the others, well, they're expendable. Sorry avatar." She said, sticking out her lower lip. Zuko groaned.

"Great, just great. He wants to capture us and kill everyone else. This is just what I needed one month after becoming Fire-Lord." He muttered. Azula looked over at him.

"You know Zuzu, if you think you can't handle it, I could take over for you." She started.

"Shut up." Said everyone at the table. Azula slouched down in her chair, muttering something incoherent. The group broke up from there, everyone staying in pairs just in case Joshua was lurking about.

Eventually the guards returned to the palace, accompanied by Iroh. Zuko immediately sent them to search the palace, but they turned up the same thing as their search had yielded, nothing. He was standing in the hall, speaking with Katara about what had happened on the mountain.

"Toph isn't too bad, I managed to heal her quite well, but Sokka." Katara shook her head. "He's a different story. He was walking on his injuries for so long, it's going to take a long time to get them right." She finished. Zuko nodded his head, distracted as a guard came up to him, holding a piece of parchment.

The guard bowed, holding out the parchment. "Fire-Lord, we found this nailed to the front door. It's addressed to you." Zuko raised an eyebrow, taking the piece of crinkled brown paper from the guard. He noticed that it carried an eerie similarity to the paper from his study, only with flecks of black grain on it. His heart leapt in his throat.

"Joshua." He muttered, swiftly unfolding the parchment and reading over the flowing calligraphy.

_Fire Lord Zuko_

_One year's rest I shall take now_

_To allow respite_

_Come a year from now_

_I shall be back to claim mine_

_Vengeance, blood, torment_

_Rest while you still can_

_Fear the upcoming horror_

_Truly, you shall be mine_

_Sincerely yours, Joshua_

_P.S, sorry about the last line, it just sounded so good, I had to use it._

Zuko shook his head, handing the piece of paper over to Katara for her to read. She scanned over it quickly, then looked at him.

"Do you really think he'll leave you alone for a year?" She asked. Zuko nodded his head.

"If I know Joshua, he'll be back exactly one year from today. We have our respite, I suggest we use it."

* * *

Sokka awoke with a blinding headache, his vision completely white. He groaned as he rolled over, trying to remember what the heck he had been doing the night before. He blinked, trying to clear up his sight, watching as the dots slowly faded away, a strange red hue tinting his sight for a moment. It cleared up with another breath, but the headache remained, much to his annoyance. He pushed himself up, swearing as he did so. What the heck had he done last night?

Shaking himself, he looked around, realizing that he was in his room back in the palace, lying in his bed. A glass of water sat next to him on the wooden stand. He reached out and grabbed it, downing the refreshing liquid greedily. He slammed the empty glass back down, with a little too much force, the fine white china cracking along the side.

"Dammit." He muttered, grabbing it and looking it over. There was no way that was going unnoticed. He turned and threw it against the wall across the room, the glass shattering into thousands of tiny white shards. That was when he realized that there was someone else in the room.

The person sat up with a start, blinking their sleeping eyes at the sound of the glass smashing.

"Sokka! Are you alright? Is someone attacking you? Just point me to em, I'll deal with them!" Said Toph, raising her fists to fight. Sokka almost laughed at his friend's comical appearance. Her hair was pressed flat on the side from where she had laid it on the bed. A bit of drool ran down her chin, her mouth open slightly.

"Easy Toph, I'm fine. The glass cup just broke, that's all." He said. Toph raised an eyebrow, blinking away her sleep.

"What'd you do? Throw it against the wall?" She asked. Sokka frowned, a flash of red spreading across his sight.

"So what if I did? What's it to you." He snapped, annoyed at her question. Toph's smile faded away, her countenance falling.

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you." She said, hurt. Sokka shook his head.

"Well maybe then you should think about what you're going to say before you say them. Your mouth has a straight hookup with your brain." He said. Toph blinked, stunned by his outburst.

"I, uhh, sorry." She managed. "I wasn't trying to offend you." She repeated.

"You better not have." Said Sokka, standing up. "What the hell you doing here anyway?" He asked, noticing that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Toph shifted, standing up.

"I was just waiting for you to wake up." She said. Sokka looked at her.

"Why? You think now that Suki's gone that you got a shot?" He said, annoyed at the thought. Toph stood silent, her face contorting with emotion.

Sokka took the opportunity to continue on his tirade. "Look kid, I only go for real women. You got some growing to do before you get into my league." He continued, walking over to a mirror hanging on the wall, golden trim shining slightly in the candlelight. Dang, what the heck was Zuko's obsession with gold!?

Toph stood behind him for a few more moments, utterly stunned.

"I…" She stopped, her voice choking. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Ohh gosh, don't tell me that you actually thought I liked you like that?" He said, turning back to her. Toph shook her head, running a sleeve across her nose.

"Of course not!" She snapped, tears in her voice. "You just saved my life in that cave, I only wanted to say thank you like a decent friend would." She said.

"Well then do it!" He yelled, throwing his arms up.

"Fine then!" Cried back Toph. "Thanks asshole! I'm really appreciative that you saved my life!" She yelled.

"You're welcome you little mutt, now you done here?" He retorted. Toph snorted.

"Ya, I'm done here!" She growled, limping to the door and opening it. She stepped into the hall and slammed it shut behind her, the door cracking from top to bottom with the force. Sokka shook his head, grabbing his head as pain flared once again through his head.

"Bitch!" He yelled.

"Asshole!" She called back, her voice coming through the wall. He spat on the ground, realizing that his feet hurt as well. Limping over to a chair he sat down, swearing underneath his breath. The nerve she had, sitting there and daydreaming about him while he slept. What right had she to pretend about anything with him?

Sokka sat there, fuming for a few moments. Why was he getting so mad? She had only wanted to say thank you. He had saved her life.

He thought back to his time in the tunnel, surrounded by that evil spirit, his body calming. He put his hand to his shoulder, imagining Toph's hand sitting there in his embrace, soft, and vulnerable. He sat up.

What had he done?! He had to apologize, now! If he didn't he could ruin everything with her. She was his best friend in the world, why the heck was he being such a jerk?!

Standing up, he started to hobble over to the door, wincing with every step. He reached for the door knob, already thinking about what he was going to say. When he reached for it, however, it flew back, revealing Ty-Lee, standing there with a tray of food.

"Ohh, you're up." She said, surprise on her face. Sokka blinked, staring at her, clad in her tight pink outfit, her brown hair braided down her back; absolutely beautiful. A flash of red crossed over his vision. What was he doing again?

Ty-Lee continued to stare at him, waiting for him to say something, stunned at his lack of a shirt.

"Do you want something to eat?" She asked, holding up the tray of food. Sokka stared at her, looking at her brown eyes, her soft, pink, skin. She stood there, so shy, so enchanting. A plumb ready to be picked.

He reached out a hand, caressing her face with his fingers. A deep desire began to burn inside of him, hot and vile. He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in and closing the door.

"I think I do."

* * *

"Are you really going to wait a whole year? Do you really think he won't figure out what you're doing for that long?" Joshua shook his head, his blonde hair waving about.

"No, he won't figure out. I'll give him six months, then we'll strike again." He replied, holding onto a broken locket, shaped like a heart.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't we take them out while we had the chance? With their security gone and the element of surprise…" The voice trailed off as he held up his hand, his back to the speaker.

"Patience my friend, patience. I don't want to just kill them, that would be too easy. I want to torment them. To strip away everything they hold dear. The only way to do that though is to allow them time to hold things dear. At the moment all they had was each other, but soon it will grow, and as it grows so will their torment when I burn it down!" He growled, black flames leaping to life in his hand. He let the hatred course through his body for a few moments, the anger burning in his heart. Eventually, though, it subsided, leaving him empty. He sighed, lifting up the broken locket, rubbing his finger along the worn wood. A tear fell down his face.

"Amy, what would you think of this?" He said to himself. The figures behind him stood silently, watching their leader as he gazed out into the forest. Eventually Joshua tucked the locket around his neck, stoning himself.

"Soon everything we want will be within our reach. I'll get to have my old friends, and you'll get to have the avatar. Then, we'll have the world."

"But sir, what about the one who made it out? Couldn't he…" Again Joshua silenced the voice with a wave of his hand.

"He won't do anything!" He snapped. "The man managed to persevere through the spirit, so what."

"But sir, what if he is drawn to you? He could find us and ruin everything." Joshua shook his head, a wave of black washing through his eyes. His voice dropped, becoming more sinister and vile.

"No, he won't be led to me." He said, turning around with a wicked grin. "I'm afraid that the man didn't quite leave the tunnel unchanged. He'll be too obsessed with his lusts to realize the pulling feeling inside of him." He finished, turning towards the back of the cave.

He walked past the two men, their bodies covered in blue tattoos. They bowed low as he walked past, making his way into a side room. He closed the door, stripping down. Vengeance could wait, he had time. He had sat in prison for years, another six months wouldn't kill him. His lust, however, just might.

**End Part 1**

* * *

Thank you for reading. If you could please leave a comment as to what you like, what you didn't like, what should be changed, what should be added, and so forth, let me know. I would love to hear your opinions and incorporate them if I can. Other than that, thanks for getting all the way through of part 1!


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